


Friendship is Magic

by smallcrystals



Category: My Little Pony: Equestria Girls, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Drama, Eating Disorders, F/M, Fantasy, Friendship is Magic, Heavy Bullying, Magic, Possible Character Death, Romance, Swearing, sex jokes galore, this is a looooong story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2019-09-13 18:56:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16898100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallcrystals/pseuds/smallcrystals
Summary: ❝What makes a good friendship?❞Twilight Sparkle didn't expect that she would make friends with twelve other students and that their lives were a part of something different than just high school. And she surely didn't expect to bust out her wand and attack.The shadows flood through, relationships fall apart – it's a fight caused by a broken friendship.





	1. Streets of Canterlot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys!! i'm pretty new to AO3 so forgive me if something happens with formatting or something like that! anyway, i hope you enjoy this story and we'll see when i get a fixed schedule for this story on here.
> 
> there is a prologue to this story, but with the way AO3 works with prologues (chapter zero) i don't think i'll be able to post it here. but here's the link (hopefully this works haha)
> 
> [prologue](https://www.wattpad.com/353897236-friendship-is-magic-mlp-prologue) link here
> 
> also, just a heads up, the characters in this story are all humanized! no equestria girls skin tones, we're gonna have POC characters!! i also want you to be respectful of the ethnicities i give my characters, no "ugh, she should be black" or "why isn't she white?!" otherwise i'll have to delete your comment and block you (if that's what they do here on AO3 XD) just don't be a dick.

**TWILIGHT SPARKLE DIDN’T KNOW IF SHE LIKED PANCAKES** or waffles the most. They both equally gave a good taste in her mouth and they both had their flaws. Many people said she had to choose one side or the other, which led to her shutting up and keeping her opinions to herself, regardless if she was asked.

"Twilight, seriously, do you _want_ to get hiccups?" Twilight Velvet warned, rolling her eyes at Twilight's giggly response. The woman cupped all the extra flour on the counter and threw it into the bin.

"Sorry, _ami!_ " She rolled her eyes and returned to her breakfast. Her mother dusted her hands off and finally sat down with her husband and daughter. "So, the plan is that I have to leave for CMA in about..." She raised her right wrist and squinted at her watch. "...an hour or so."

Velvet nodded, but when she turned to her husband, she was surprised to see him focusing on his iPad. She sighed and punched his arm playfully. He wobbled and glared at his wife.

"What the hell was _that_ for?" He complained and switched off the iPad. His hand ran through his dark phthalo blue hair sheepishly. "I'm _not_ addicted to the iPad, okay, I'm _just_ checking on the café floor plan. _Again_." He faced his daughter and gave her a warm smile.

"All right, sweetie, you got everything packed?" Twilight's answer was a nod and she pointed to her pastel purple suitcase. "So, Spike's going with you, right?"

"Of course he is!" She immediately lowered her body and called her dog using her fingers. The purple dog barked and sprinted to his owner. He jumped onto her lap and snuggled up. "I'm not surviving this school year _without_ him!"

"That's just the answer we were looking for." Night tucked his device into his bag before taking a long sip from his glass.

Her mom massaged his right shoulder and spoke again. "Are you _sure_ you're ready, Twilight?"

" _Ami_ , I'm totally sure! Besides, this is _CMA_ we're talking about! Canterlot Magic Academy; it's one of the _best_ schools in _all_ of Equestria." She clapped her hands together and squealed. Spike shook his head and hid his amused face. Knowing Twilight Sparkle, she was excited about these sorts of things.

"And the most _expensive_." Night remarked, only to earn another light slap from Velvet on the shoulder. "Honey! What do you have against my shoulder, for crying out loud!" Twilight couldn't hold her laughter in and a few giggles slipped out of her mouth. "Missy, you stop giggling now."

She abruptly stopped after the scold and her eyes gazed at the floor as a small smirk crept up her lips.

"Seriously, you are _just_ like your _ami_ sometimes."

" _Hey!_ "

Twilight stopped her fit of laughter once more when she spotted her brother peering over their mother's shoulder. He kissed her on the cheek and signaled his sister.

"So, Sparkle, you ready for your first freshman day?" He walked over to the kitchen counter and poured some water. She hummed a happy tune and grinned. "Well, that's a relief. Now, here's some advice. _Stay_ away from the Sapphires."

Their Mom made a face and turned to the man. She pointed an accusing finger at him but was cut off.

" _Ami_ , don't _even_ start. You _know_ what I'm going to say," said Shining Armor, "Twilight, Amethysts, and Sapphires are known not to get along with each other." He paused before shaking his head. "Actually no, _that's_ a lie. _None_ of the houses get along but these two are definitely the worst. I know that for a fact. So, just a warning, don't, and I mean _don't_ , fall in love with a Sapphire."

"Shining!" Velvet scolded. He jumped and then rolled his eyes. "I know you've had your issues with them, but it doesn't mean your little sister will too. She may find someone who she'll like. It's none of your business!"

"Sure, _ami_." His voice dribbled with sarcasm. "Anyway, think about it. This is _Twilight Sahri Sparkle_ we're talking about! She's not interested in romance or friendship whatsoever!"

Her mother faced her and raised a brow. "Really?" Her gaze was somewhat bewildered yet not so.

"I mean, he's not wrong. But not _correct_ , either. For example, _ami_ didn't want to get married or have children at my age. Well, look at _abi_ and us two. So, it can change. I might want a boyfriend in the future and _possibly_ , when older, have—"

"Twily, _don't you dare_..." Shining's warning voice was low and sometimes caught Twi off guard. Sometimes.

"All right, _all right!_ But seriously, all I want to do is focus on my education. You two," she gestured at her parents, "have spent _so_ much money for CMA. For _both_ of us on top of that! I _want_ to make these four years count!"

"Well, I'm sure you'll do just that, sweetie." Night Light kissed her forehead and walked out of the dining room.

 

* * *

 

Shining Armor left thirty minutes before Twilight did and he promised to send an Uber by their street. The sun's elegant rays peeped out from behind the gray-white clouds and the autumn leaves decorated the sidewalk. Spike fought the urge not to play in them – or specifically follow them which would lead him up a tree to a squirrel's nest. His temptation died down pretty quickly, in comparison to the last few times this happened. Her dog hurried after Twilight, who was already on the phone.

"Where did you say the car was? I can't find it." She held a finger in her free ear and closed one eye, hoping to be able to hear her brother's voice amongst all the morning traffic the roads contained.

Spike barked after her.

"I know, I know, I _should've_ asked _ami_ to come with me but she's already tired with the case she's working on! You know this case is important and if she loses, it'll cost her _and_ the law dearly! _Abi_ is stressed with the new café building so I _have_ to do this by myself! With you, of course. Now, where did you say the cab was? Down this street?"

She snatched her suitcase handle and dragged it along, whistling Spike over to her. She wandered further down her part of the town, gradually walking further and further away from her house. Yet, the rarities of the path she went down didn't give her a feeling that she was lost.

The view was a beautiful sight to see – this was not a shocker, Canterlot was always beautiful, even in September. The orange-yellow-leaved trees created shadows on the sidewalk.

The lampposts had this look to it every season; they were a dark brown in autumn, a dark blue in winter, dark pink in spring and dark yellow in the summer. From the trees to the grass to the glittering nature, everything fell into place with every new coming month; it gave Canterlot it's glow.

Twilight expected some other students from nearby schools to be strolling around the area she was in but it was – unfortunately – sparse. Nonetheless, there were people but most of them seemed like young adult.

"There isn't a car. Are you _sure_ you sent it here?" She got her response, which was a definite yes. _Where was it then?_ "Shining, are you sure you can't come and pick me up?"

" _Yes, Twily, I would if I could. But Cadence desperately_ needs _my assistance at CPA._ "

"I-It's all right. Still, I don't think the Uber is coming."

" _I'm_ so _sorry. I think he must've heard the wrong direction from me_."

"What do I do now? Can't you call the driver again?"

" _I tried several times but it always went straight to voicemail. I'll call ami and abi and see what they can do. I'm sorry, okhti._ "

The line went dead.

Twilight smacked her phone against her palms repeatedly, sweat poured constantly down her temple. She couldn't afford to be late on her first day there, the last time that happened had trapped her head in Confusion Land and possibly Regret Land. Spike's whimpers flooded into her ears but her head chose to ignore them. The pressure circled around her head and her phone screen damped with her palm steam.

_No, no, no, not again. Come on, Uber, where are you?!_

A tap on her shoulder caused all her mind to run in circles but her body only to remain calm. Her violet eyes met with bright azure ones.

Twilight politely coughed and finally said, "Yes?"

"I'm dreadfully sorry, darling, but I spotted you from a couple of meters away. You seemed to be stressed about something."

"Uh... yes, actually. I'm, unfortunately, lost. I'm pretty far from my house and my brother had a cab parked somewhere. But I can't seem to find it. The driver must've heard the location wrong."

"Oh!" Her mulberry neat eyebrows raised up. "If I may ask, where are you headed?"

"Um..." she hesitated but in the end decided to state it, "I'm going to Canterlot Magic Academy."

The teenager's eyes lit up. "Canterlot Magic?" She checked to see if that's what Twilight said. "Well, darling, you are in luck! I'm going there too!" She tugged on her pristine white shirt where a mint green badge was pinned on the left. It had the Academy's logo on it as well.

Twilight beamed. She gazed down at her own. It was the exact one except hers was pastel purple.

"So, you know where it is?"

"Yes! I've studied at the Middle School. I have an Uber with me right now! We can take it together!" The girl received a nod from Twilight.

After some luggage shoving in and calling after Spike, she and the girl got in their ride and were on their way.

"So!" The girl slapped her hands together on her lap. "I finally find someone new! You _are_ new to the Academy, aren't you? I've never seen you around before, so..."

"Yes, I'm new. You are from Canterlot Magic Middle School, aren't you?"

She nodded.

"Anyway, that was _so_ generous of you to let me come with you!"

Spike hopped onto Twi's lap, he pawed lightly at her skirt for a comfortable area and soon sat snuggly in the middle. Her hand smoothed through his back coat, her fingers then slid up to his ears.

"Oh, darling, it was _nothing!_ So, was that your... brother you were speaking to on the phone?"

"It was!"

The girl put a hand to her chest and let a sigh out of relief. "I thought I was assuming there for a second! You can call him up and let him know that you're safe with a schoolmate. Worry not, I am completely trustworthy." Her heartwarming smile didn't give off any strange vibe, not even to Spike when he looked up. He had this way of poking her in her backhand when someone had a strange aura to him. Most of the time, he was right and Twi trusted him more than anything.

"Oh, sure! Excuse me."

It took several minutes but he was ultimately satisfied that his little sister was in good hands. Well, _hopefully_. He had a right to be possessive though, even if it bothered her to no end.

"Ah! Sorry about that, my brother is a _little_ overprotective. We had this big conversation back home over boyfriends and romance and it escalated to sex and oh Lord." Her hand gestures made the conversation funnier in a way.

She giggled, "it's quite all right. It's bad enough I'm like that with my little sister. It makes sense, no?"

Twilight shrugged and leaned back in her seat.

"I'm Rarity, by the way." The girl held her hand out.

She took it. "I'm Twilight Sparkle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, here we are! god, it took forever to get this to work but at least it did! anyway, how was chapter 1? let me know! again, thanks for choosing to read this story and i'll see you in the next one! ❤️


	2. Many Introductions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys!! so yeah, the update schedule is still in the "meh" state but at least we got the second chapter up! now, just before you guys completely tear this writing apart (in the nicest way possible please XD) i want to let you know that my writing has developed a LOT from when i posted this all the way back in Jan 2018. it's 2019, half way in fact, so you can tell someone has developed over a YEAR of writing XD i might've taken your advice into account already before i posted the latest chapter so yeah! just letting you know. now onto the chapter!

**SOON, SHE AND RARITY GOT INTO MANY CONVERSATIONS**. Boys, middle school, CMA policy, family, etc. They bonded pretty quickly, despite them both being in different houses.

One of the topics they talked about was the school uniform. Girls and boys' uniforms were similar yet different in many ways. Girls were allowed to choose between skirts and trousers.

The girls were both in dark navy skirts. Twilight's was longer than Rarity's as she was seven inches taller. Their shirts were white and the collar was hooked together by a bow in the color of their houses. Rubies got pastel red, Emeralds, mint green, Sapphires, the same shade except blue and Amethysts, purple. Their badges were a shield shape, matching their bows. Specific school shoes weren't given so anything that fit their dress code was allowed. Heels and trainers were included on that list.

The boys' uniform was simple. Light blue jean-like trousers, white shirt, and a dark navy cardigan-like blazer. Most boys would go for trainers, but it wasn't unusual for them to go for something else. Instead of a house-color bow, they would wear a tie. Alternatively, their badge was placed on their cardigan.

Half of the school uniform conversation was Rarity fawning over how hot the guys looked in the CMA uniform. Twilight made a face every time she squealed but it wasn't _that_ bad.

Rarity, herself, was a sight to see. Her British accent was fairly audible. Her skin was pale and her hair was in curls. A three blue stone barrette clipped to the left side of her hair, keeping it all clean. Her vibe gave off a posh and rich feeling to Twi but her friendliness was a new ray of sunlight. She kind of sliced the upper-class stereotype into two.

Twilight wasn't looking to make friends but somehow, they just clicked.

 

* * *

 

The Academy had this glisten to it when they arrived. The large black gates sparkled under the sunbeam. The lamps on each rectangle-thick pillar were switched off but on top of them, there was a small statue of some sort. One lamp had a sun and the other had a moon.

In the middle of the hinged barrier, a lock kept it together. The Academy's logo was imprinted on the smooth circular surface of the clasp. Two thinner gates were on either side of the pillars – supposedly for the teachers. Rumor had it that the entire school was even prettier at night, beneath the illumination of the moon.

Despite all of this, there was still a stain of _dullness_ that was left untouched. It didn't look like how Twilight's parents described it to be – she thought it would've been brighter and more _vibrant_. Maybe it was the modern generation that caused the school to change. Maybe it was the oldness of the area – it had been around for as long as her _grandparents_ could remember. The buildings didn't look like the way they did now, that's for _sure_.

As expected, there was a crowd of freshmen students outside. Rarity and Twilight joined them; they held hands to make sure they didn't get lost. When the reached the front of the mob, two adults stood at the front.

One was taller than the other; she was in a pastel yellow blazer. In her right hand held a twelve-inch magic wand, similar to her blazer color. She seemed the most important, as she was the more formal-looking one. A sun badge was hooked onto her collar, so she must be Principal Celestia.

Rarity had her focus on the other adult – in which Twilight soon turned to. She was shorter by about five-inches from what she could see. This one had a dark indigo blazer on; the color slightly differed from their school uniform. Instead of a sun badge, her one was a moon, and it was pinned on the opposite side of the blazer collar.

By how completely opposite both adults looked, it would've made sense to believe they were somewhat related. Like Shining and herself, they looked different by skin tone, yet facial features were helpful in depicting the theory of the adults possibly being sisters.

One was Celestia, and the other was Luna. From what the names meant, Twi was able who was who.

"Students, we're all glad you were able to make it for your first day at Canterlot Magic Academy!" Luna announced. She had a tinge of informality in her voice, despite her loud appearance.

"Once we let you in, you are to line up in your houses so we can give you a copy of your room keys." Celestia turned her back on the students, waved her wand and the lock clicked open.

Just before she swung them fully, she warned all of the students to cover their ears. After that alert, everyone prepared themselves, yet confused buzz fluttered around. Celestia sent a heavy gust of wind at the entrance with her magic. As it opened, the gate creaking sound squeezed passed all the groans coming from the students.

Many conversations rose up from the students. Rarity knew most of them – they went to the Middle School with her. Tugging on Twilight's short-shirt sleeve, she pointed to that specific building.

Spike kept next to Twilight's ankles. With one tap on his shoulder, he climbed into her bag. Were pets allowed on the school grounds? She wasn’t going to risk it for the biscuit, though. She had enough experience with that before.

Rarity gave Twilight a small and quick tour to the outside of the entire Academy. To the right was the middle school, to the left was the university and the middle was, well, the high school.

The size towered over her, the shadows piercing through the sunlight. Twilight’s eyes relaxed.

 

* * *

 

"I guess we have to go to our houses then," Rarity's eyes caught the four lines. There were some students behind them, searching for their house lines.

"Already?" she sighed, "Well, I'll be sure to look out for you during school!"

"Good luck, Twilight!" She chirped and ambled to her line.

_Oh. Well, I guess I have to do this on my own then. Twilight, come on! You can do this!_

It took some long, tedious waiting but she eventually got her copy of her room keys. The teacher that stood by the Amethyst line was sweet and cheerful – yet she seemed tired. Her ID Card stated _Miss Cheerilee_.

That explained the jolly essence.

The minute she got her keys, Twilight fiddled with the keychain that said what building her room was in.

 

**Block A.**

 

Why didn't she expect that sooner?

She darted off to that section. Her eyes caught a sign. It was neatly glued above the glass-sliding double door. _Block A_ was in a large calligraphy font. Under it was _Girls_. This sign was in white and the calligraphy was in dark beige.

She raised a brow and peered over to her right which was the Block C: Girls section. Opposite the girls, was the boys. Block B and D.

_D, huh? And for the Boys’ dorms too?_

The thought almost expanded in her head and she giggled to brush it off before it could get complicated. When she entered, the entire building had a spark, no pun intended, of modernness. Everything was so clean and precise.

Checking her chain again, it stated all her room details.

Block A: Girls. _Check._

 

**Floor 3. Dorm 005.**

 

 _All right then._ She was glad that they didn't put her room too high because stairs were always a pain in the ass.

So, it's two big rooms on each floor. Makes sense.

Dragging herself up the stairs wasn't much of a hassle, but dragging her suitcase up was the actual problem. Especially when the teenager is a bookworm and carried _seven_ books in her bag.

Turning to the right, she noticed a teenager.

She waved to someone in her room and collected an empty box from outside the door. Her hair was short, red and white stripes. That was what grasped her attention. She had the same pastel purple bow and badge, except hers was messily done. The way she looked spilled out a vibe of a confident, outgoing type teen.

She noticed Twilight staring at her and smiled. Relaxing the box, she hurried over to her.

"Hi!" She piped, waving her hand high. Twilight snapped out of it and raised her hand for a low wave. In Twi's mind, the gesture she gave seemed awkward compared to the one the red-white-striped-haired offered her. But however, the adolescent didn't seem to mind. "Oof. That suitcase looks kinda big. You need any help?"

"Oh! Nah, I'm good. Well, _I think_." Twilight let out a laugh and grasped the handle.

"You _think_ , huh?" She giggled and took the bag for her. "Come on. I'll take it up for you. Don't worry, I'm not gonna _throw_ it out the window or something _._ "

_Damn, she's spunky all right._

Twilight shook her head and reached her hand out. The girl held her wrist and pushed it down to her side.

"Nope! I'm gonna help you, no matter how many times you try to protest!"

It took Twilight nearly two minutes to agree but the girl didn't seem to have an issue with it. To be honest, she was completely fine with meeting new people. She checked the floor and helped her carry it up. As for Spike, he decided to rest in his owner's arms. The school bag was too stuffy for him. The teenager complimented and slightly squealed when she set her eyes on Twi's dog.

They – after some time – got to Twilight's floor. The girl rested her suitcase down and let a deep breath out.

"Holy potatoes, that was _heavy!_ It looks like you're prepared for this freshman year – it's good!" She laughed. Twilight grinned; she was pleased that she had met two new students that helped her out completely without asking for anything in return. "I'm Ana. Ana Escriptora." She held her hand out for her to shake it.

"Twilight Sparkle."

"Yay, another Amethyst!" She cheered but covered her mouth a millisecond later. "Sorry, I got a little too excited there. I'm glad there is another Amethyst in the Block. Anyway, hope to find you around the building then!" She beckoned a _see you later_ and ambled down the stairs.

 _She seems nice_ , Twilight smiled back. It only took a millisecond for her to shake her head, _No. Twilight, focus. Friendship will only divert you from achieving high grades. Just act friendly and she'll soon forget you_.

She let out a breath.

_Why is this so hard?_

She glanced around the little hall, just staring at the simplicity yet home-like corridors.

Windows filled one wall of the hall and the staircase filled the other. On either end of the floor were two rooms. _Dorm_ _005_ and _006_.

A neat flourish pattern decorated over both door. A white plate stood in the middle of the door, stating the dorm number in the same calligraphy font. They must've taken some time getting it just right with the dark beige paint.

She slipped her key inside but when she turned it, it didn't move. Twilight pushed the handle down and it clinked open. Her roommate. She made it quicker than Twi did – and punctuality mattered to her. When she gathered up the courage to go in, she swung it open and her eyes sparkled.

Across from the main door stood two doors labeled with different names in purple cursive. The door on the left was labeled _Bathroom_ and was closed, and the other was labeled _Bedroom,_  which was wide open. There was a kitchenette to her left, with granite countertops, oak finish, fridge, and stove hood. To the right, was the entertainment area.

She closed the front door and pushed her suitcase to the living room. She set Spike down to explore the place on his own. Shaking her head at his immediate reaction to everything – which was scurrying off to jump on every non-dangerous thing – she walked into their bedroom.

The size didn't bother her as much, it was around the same as her old one. The bunk bed took up the left corner of the bedroom. The room seemed half full with one of the desks covered in books, for classes or reading purposes. The other was empty, that one was probably hers. She pulled one of the drawers open which revealed glow-in-the-dark star stickers and many other things relating to her preferences.

"So that's why they asked for my opinion of what I liked." Twilight cocked her head.

There was a single couch in the corner with a cushion in it. The walls were a dull white which somewhat matched the bunk bed.

Speaking of that, she gazed towards it. The top bunk was taken already – thank goodness for Twilight. She preferred to stay on the bottom subsequent to personal experiences.

Both beds were purple except in different shades. The top was pastel-purple-pink whilst the bottom was purple – Twi's favorite color. A small two-shelf cabinet was attached into the wall of the bunk-bed. Twilight's contained a modern music speaker on the lower shelf. For the top-bunk cabinet, there were a bunch of _Harry Potter_ books.

 _She's a fan too! Glad they didn't die down after many years_ , Twilight smiled.

Admiring the carpet design, her eyes ran to a pair of navy-blue leather boots near the white ladder.

Her roommate was up there; her feet dangled off the edge.

Hot-pink eyeshadow colored her eyelids and contrasted with her Persian blue irises. She was fair-peach skinned. Her eyebrows were thin and they were arched in a slightly mockingly way.

The teenager was purple-haired with pale light aquamarine undertones in her hair, and her uniform was exactly like Twilight's, but a few tweaks were visible. A hot-pink beanie rested on her head. It had a variety of big and small white stars that were six-pointed. Her pastel-purple bow was loosely tied around her collar and the badge was slightly wonky.

Finally, she noticed Twilight, "Hey, you must be Twilight Sparkle, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yeah, I'm Twilight Sparkle, and you are...?"

"Oh, how rude of me. Starlight Glimmer." She relaxed her right foot on the bed below and leaped down. Her eyes widened and she turned back to Twilight. "Whoops. Sorry, I kinda stole the top bunk." She laughed sheepishly. Twi waved it off.

"No worries, Starlight. I _actually_ prefer the bottom bunk." She rested her school bag on the bed.

Wait. How did she know her name?

But, she let it slide. She would ask again some other time. Exhaustion had tainted her movements ever since she got off the Uber with Rarity. "So you're an Amethyst too?"

"Yeah. They don't let people from other houses stay in one room."

"Wow, there must be a load of rooms in this Academy."

"You have _no_ idea. This Academy is beyond gigantic and enormous _combined_ together. There are Blocks from _A_ to _P_ – freshman to senior! And on top of that, there is a middle school _and_ a university for this Academy. Can you _believe_ that?" Glimmer zipped her turquoise suitcase up and shoved it out of the room, with recklessness tied to her actions.

It took Twilight almost half an hour to completely finish unpacking and in the meantime, the two teenagers chatted about any random thing that came into their heads. It was her roommate anyway, they would eventually become friends. Twilight just hoped the drama that came along with friendship would waltz right past her. As any teenager would, she wanted none of it.

 

* * *

 

Twilight finally sat on her bed. She relaxed her elbows on her knees and sighed.

_Boredom._

What an annoying thing.

Her phone was on the side table, placed onto its charger. Twilight switched it on and checked the time. She looked up at Starlight, who lay on her stomach.

"It's nearly fifteen to one and we need to go down to lunch.”

"I'm not going." Glimmer's voice was muffled in her pillow.

"Why?"

Starlight raised her head and sat, crossed legged. "I'm not really the kind of girl who would socialize or _make friends_."

"Heh. Same here, actually."

Starlight gave her a petite smile.

 _Well, I finally found someone who is similar to me,_ Twilight sighed. "Is there a reason why you, specifically, don't? If you don't mind."

"To keep it vague, I did some things in the past that I'm not _exactly_ proud of."

"Oh... a-all right."

_Thank you for being so damn awkward Twi._

She shook her head and changed the topic. Well, kind of. "Do you want me to bring some food for you?"

"Just some grapes and some pasta, if that's okay." She shuffled over and slipped _Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince_ out of her cabinet before burying her head in it.

"All right. See you later." And with that, she left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, how was it? good, bad, meh? i gotta know!! like i said at the top, if there is any CC (constructive criticism) just keep in mind that this was written a year and a half XD i'll be more than happy to read through CCs though!
> 
> just please be thoughtful and kind when you point out stuff, i don't tolerate literal hate (though, i will tell you if something you said had offended me in the slightest bit because i understand where most CCs come from when giving me advice!) so don't feel scared if there's something i can improve on. thank you!! ❤️


	3. Lead Singer & Athlete

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one question: are we allowed to use songs in our stories that don't belong to us in AO3? i'm not sure and i tried searching for anything that could help me, but no avail. i used [2! 3!](https://open.spotify.com/track/0ma7lbs8BsVIv2kSaqOsDI?si=JDMRqSOmSC6O4nhkQBiQ7Q) by BTS in this chapter but i'm not sure if i'll get a copyright strike or whatever it is on here (XD) if anyone does know, then do let me know. anyway, on with the chapter!

**_SEPTEMBER 3RD_ ** **WAS THE BEGINNING OF AUTUMN THIS** year. Despite Canterlot being the tourists' pleasure, it was the season when nature prepared itself for winter. Ironically, _that_ season was the least desired over here. It was a brief walk from their Dorm Blocks to the main building, past the reception, and across the colossal foyer. Twilight took her time to get to the cafeteria, although she managed to not notice the orange leaves scattered randomly around her path.

She didn't want to bump into any other students after Rarity, Ana and Starlight; well, not that she minded it. Her aim _was_ to go through these four years of high school without any drama. There was definitely going to be some, no matter what she wanted, and that's why she hoped fate would grace her with as little as possible.

The cafeteria wasn't what she expected it to be like when she lifted her head from her shoes. The damn hall was _massive_. She entered and her sight was bombarded with the separated sections of each House.

The Emeralds had circular tables with five mint-green chairs around each of them. Sapphires had theirs against the windows with four pastel blue chairs around each table. Rubies and Amethysts had the most amount of space from her perspective; their tables were rectangle landscape and the chairs matched their house colors.

In the far end, there was a crowd consisting of different students from each house, most of them were either Emeralds or Sapphires.

She could hear the song faintly but not loud enough so it would grasp her attention. When she reached the end of the lunch line with her two containers of food, she squinted at the mobbed area of the canteen. The music was more audible... and there was a rap line?

" _Deokbune goding ttaedo mothan jeungmyeong haenaeteuni,_ " It was a female voice; she had a pretty strong one, but it didn't amaze Twilight. The lyrics were obviously in a different language, Korean if she was correct?

Twilight was never interested in rap, from the Western part of the Earth specifically, but Eastern wasn't so bad. She couldn't remember _which_ group she liked the rapping most from, though.

Twilight raised her brow and strolled to the Amethyst tables. She peered forward to get a closer look at the students on stage, yet, nothing. There were too many people that covered them.

One tap on her forearm led to a startled jump and she almost fell backward. The girl was taken aback by the sudden shock action, though her face changed as she chuckled it off.

"Are you curious as to what's going on over there?" She gave a cheeky smile. Twilight glanced back over there and then shrugged.

She sighed and, with a slight bit of mischievous attitude, held her hand out. "Here, I'll keep your lunch for you. You go and check it out." She smiled and grabbed the boxes. She kept them next to her and urged Twi to go. And just before she sprinted off, the girl held her arm out in her way. "Make sure you don't come back covered in drool." She winked and turned back to her Amethyst friends.

On instinct, Twilight wiped her mouth. She shook her head at the girl's teasing and carried on her way. She had a good look around the cafeteria as she ambled. Many of the seats were empty with food trays still out now. Guess the Rubies participated in the crowd as well.

 _What's so jaw-dropping amazing that everyone forgot food? Food of all things! This_ thing _must be worth it then, otherwise, something's wrong with these teenagers._

She got to the entrance of the hell. If she was going to see whatever it was on the platform, she had to push past everyone. And so, she did. Maneuvering through, it didn't take her long to reach the front. When her seventh _excuse me_ slipped out of her mouth, someone blurted out:

"Twilight?" She flipped her hair to her right shoulder and Twilight beamed. "Twilight!" Rarity wrapped her arms around her neck and tugged her into a hug. "It's so good to see you! – Again." She giggled and Twilight returned her grin.

"You too!" She faced the band, yet she didn't get a good look at them before she turned her attention to Rare. "So, what's so special about this band?"

"Oh yes, I forgot, you are new here. It's the Sapphire Band. Despite every house hating each other, everyone loves this group of four. I mean, talent is attractive," Rarity started. "If you look closely, see the raspberry-haired back there playing the drums? That's Pinkie Pie."

Twilight eyed the bubbly girl. She had this smile on that brought one to Sparkle's face already, and it was only the first person she was introduced to. Her hair was, like the vibe her name gave off, bubbly and poofy. Her cerulean eyes were focused on the blue, yellow and pink drum kit in front of her. She nodded away to another person to her right.

"To your left is Cheese Sandwich. The one that is playing the keyboard." Rarity pointed to the brown-haired boy. His chartreuse green eyes looked back at Pinkie. "It's kind of obvious that they both have a crush on each other. I mean, look at them!" She squealed.

It was true, they did give each other shy glances that symbolized their _like_ -like for each other. Sparkle's lips twitched up into a smirk when the light-olive skinned teen blushed a red-pink.

" _Gwaenchanha, ja hana, dul, set hamyeon ijeo._ " There was this smile on her face as Pinkie Pie sang, Twi couldn't think of why.

"Oh, wait, is this _Dul, Set?_ " Twilight looked at Rarity who nodded and grinned. "That's where I remembered the rap from! It's a BTS song!" She clapped her hands.

Her sight soon rose from Pinkie's sugar sweet smile to the other girl with red wavy hair and yellow undertones. She stood on the same level as Cheese, who tapped her feet to the beat. Was she the rapper Twi heard from the serving area?

"Who's she?"

"She's Sunset Shimmer. Pretty much one of the most popular girls in the entire Academy. I've talked to her before – being included in the popular people – and she's a decent person. She can be a bit of a... um... _witch_ sometimes but that is only towards the lead singer/guitarist and many other popular girls who hurt her friends."

"What do you mean she acts like a bitch towards the lead singer?"

Rarity cringed at the curse. "The lead singer and she don't _really_ get along. The only reason why he allowed her into the band is that of Miss Pie – those two are close friends, ever since sixth grade. Sunset and he are not-friendly rivals basically."

"Oh."

_Wait._

_The lead singer is a_ _he_?

"He? Who's the lead singer?"

"Oh my gosh, so, the LS is one of the _best_ singers in the entire Academy, which includes Middle and University! His vocal range is exceptionally strong and wide. Specifically, in this song, you'll hear the higher side of it, but you _need_ to hear his raspy voice after." Her shriek with delight set something in Twilight's mind. Whoever this guy was, he should be quite the must-see Or his _voice_ should be a must- _hear_.

"Oh my Celestia, his part is coming! Just listen carefully." She tugged on Twilight's arm and held her hand behind her own ear. Sparkle made a face but did the same thing.

" _Mitneundamyeon, hana, dul, set; hana, dul, set._ " Sunset sang.

Cheese followed, his voice soothing yet energetic. " _Mitneundamyeon, hana, dul, set; hana, dul, set._ "

" _Mitneundamyeon, hana, dul, set._ " Pinkie mixed in, and in the background, Twi could hear a soft harmonizing voice preparing itself. " _Mitneundamyeon, dul, set, say!_ "

Rarity gripped her arm harder for the part where the surprise singer came in and a gorgeous high note played in exactly when Twi expected it to.

" _Gwaenchanha, ja hana, dul, set hamyeon ijeo. Seulpeun gieok modu jiwo, nae soneul japgo useo!_ "

Her eyes widened. He joined in with the chorus like it was no problem after that high note, the euphony in his voice worked incredibly well with the others'. Twilight's lips curved up into a smile and she hummed quietly along to the chorus, as the rest of the crowd did.

" _Gwaenchanha, ja hana, dul, set hamyeon ijeo. Seulpeun gieok modu jiwo, seoro soneul japgo useo._ "

Twilight felt her sight drifting to the boy. She normally wouldn't be hypnotized by attractive looks but she had to make an exception here. This boy was _stunning_ , just like his voice. No wonder Rarity was squealing. Strong jawline, the typical boy haircut suddenly only fit him and no one else, the smile, strong but soft blue eyes.

A few scars caught her attention, the main one was on the right side of his collarbone. His collar managed to hide it as he moved, especially with his height compared to hers; she was a stubby little thing. The other marks were around his right wrist and forearm area. They were more visible as his blazer sleeves were rolled up to the very brim of his elbow.

Chills crawled all over her; _fuck, his harmonizing brings Park Jimin to justice_ . Of course, no one could be better than the perfect Korean vocalist but realistically, this singer came _pretty_ close.

" _Geuraedo, joheun nari hwolssin deo manhgireul._ "

His hand gripped the microphone when he brought another high note out, probably his strongest one yet. The part of his right arm that grasped her was the small bracelet around that wrist. Would she even call it a bracelet? It was a dark blue gem threaded through a brown thin rope. It was simple yet added flavor to the boy.

" _Mitneundamyeon, hana, dul, set._ " His vivid cornflower eyes met with Twilight's for only a second before he faced the audience. It didn't take him even a half an instant for his eyes to dart back to hers, as if she had snatched his attentiveness.

All it took was a small smile from him that brightened up her day even more. No one knew how a boy's smile meant to her; all it was in her old school was boys sneering deviously, in the mind of creating a hurtful scheme. Here, it felt... genuine.

The other three brought out their mics and walked out to the front where the lead singer was. He still sang along to the chorus with the crowd, who also sounded beautifully sincere. When Twi's own lips started singing, she repeated the English meaning in her head and smiled while staring at him.

_Gwaenchanha, ja hana, dul, set hamyeon ijeo. Seulpeun gieok modu jiwo, nae soneul japgo useo._

_It's all right, now count one, two three and forget. Erase all sad memories, hold my hand and smile._

 

* * *

 

Her foot was the first to come out of the drama-filled cafeteria. Her hands contained the two plastic containers she had for herself and Starlight Glimmer. But she was halfway out of the exit when a voice called out to her.

"H-hey!"

She rotated quarter a circle, only to get a glimpse of who it was. She completed the other quarter when she recognized him.

"Hm?— _Oh_."

Outside, she seemed like a normal fourteen-year-old greeting a student at her school.

But mentally, she was _freaking the hell out_.

There was a boy – and on top of that, the one she just watched and listened to – running towards her.

Sure, he was hot as _blue flames_ , but he, obviously, was a boy and she had goosebumps when anyone from the opposite gender walked up to her.

Was he going to try something? If he did, what would she _do_? She didn't want to go through that ever again – that was the main reason as to why she agreed to transfer. He didn't give off a harmful vibe, actually, he gave completely the opposite of that. Even so, it could be a disguise, a camouflage of some sort.

"H-hi!" She faltered shyly – it was not meant to come out that way, but oh well. She gripped her containers, hoping they wouldn't clatter when she was shivering with fright.

"I saw you by the stage and didn't recognize you. You must be new if I'm not mistaken. So, I kinda wanted to introduce myself. Rarity might have dragged you along to something you had no _freaking_ idea about so... yeah!" He rubbed the back of his neck and a wave of sweet adorableness safely splashed over him.

_Aw, he's actually adorable!_

"I'm Flash Sentry! If you haven't noticed already – which I'm kinda sure you have, I mean, why wouldn't you, it's the color of my tie and badge – I'm a Sapphire." The way he rambled matched the way she did. Except his awkwardness was delightful and hers was a hot mess.

He flashed another smile. Although she had practically checked him out when he was on stage, she didn't notice one small thing. He had a dimple in his right cheek when he smiled.

 _Gosh darn it_. If he wasn't captivating enough, this _skyrocketed_ it for her.

_Hey, hey, hey. You are just meeting him for the first time! No insta-love; you hate that kind of stuff, remember?_

She inwardly groaned.

"Yours?"

"Oh, Twilight Sparkle. Sorry."

"No worries. So, _Twilight Sparkle_ ," repeated Flash before approving, "that's a pretty name. Suits you well, Amethyst."

 _Oh, right_. Her bow and badge.

If she didn't have those there, would she had been able to act like a Sapphire? Considering how low she felt of herself, she was _definitely_ not Sapphire standard. Even if Flash felt so contrasting in his personality, cunning yet gullible, she somehow knew he was less the latter. _Just look at him._

Hang on... Sentry. _Oh my gosh._ It had been so obvious. The hair, the eyes, the alluring aura that seemed to be embedded in his blood. He was a _Sentry_ . One of the sons of the damn architect businessman Twi's mother was a lawyer to. _Holy shit._

Twi blinked out of her trance when Flash cocked his head in the cutest way possible. She giggled, mentally cursing that she forgot to respond. "So, as far as I'm aware, you can sing. _Really well_ , in fact. I'm impressed."

A tantalizing red blush formed upon his cheeks and he laughed lightly. "it's really nothing, just a bunch of high notes in favor of the one and only Park Jimin."

"Even then, I'm sure you can sing just as well. I've heard rumors." Twilight crossed her arms.

"Hmm." That blush refused to leave as he slightly hung his head. His face lit up a bit and he spun around and pointed to the red electric instrument attached to his back, "I also play guitar if that's interesting."

Twilight's eyes tried to catch a longer glimpse at the guitar before he turned back and gave her a smile "I haven't played guitar in a _while._ And it's not even an electric guitar. I'm actually trying to get back into music; it's one of my chosen subjects!"

_Finally, you said something normal to a boy without stuttering._

"Awesome, I'll probably see you around! Um... say, which homeroom are you in?"

She hesitated and pulled the corner of her mouth into her cheek. "...9M, if I can remember correctly."

"Sweet, I'm in your homeroom!" He pressed his lips together as his blush finally, _and unfortunately_ , died down. "So, I'll see you later?"

"Later? Yeah, sure!"

He clapped his hands together and set forth another smile. With a two-finger salute to her, he returned back into the dining room.

Twilight's goosebumps she had all over her body had vanished. Did talking to Flash boost her confidence around the opposite sex a bit?

She sighed. He was going to meet her in homeroom later. Hopefully, nothing happened during that meeting.

While constantly thinking about the people she had been introduced to, mainly about the one she just met, she collapsed into someone. She toppled to the ground with her containers still in her hand.

"Geez! Watch where you're going, Amethyst!" The raspy voice didn't surprise Twilight and the fact that she called her _Amethyst_ wasn't much of a shocker either.

_I knew it. There was going to be some people like that here. CMA may be different but there are some things that relate back to Crystal Prep._

"Well, _you're_ a rude one." She didn't need to comment, yet she wanted the girl to realize what she did, even if it wasn't going to work. It was petty, she knew. It just felt somewhat better if the person knew what kind of a bitchy move that was.

Twilight pulled her tights up her legs from her ankles and tugged her skirt down. She collected her first box and didn't dare look up. As she reached for the other, someone else grabbed and passed it to her.

The hand was feminine but slightly rough. Tan as well. Twilight's eyes crept up the body to the same girl kneeling in front of her.

"You're right. That was kinda rude of me. I'm sorry," her voice was softer, the raspiness didn't disappear.

 _A_ sorry _? And on top of that, a full on_ I'm sorry _? Well now._

She handed Twilight the food and she took it, her grudge disobeying her will to leave. "Thank you."

By the way she came off at first, she did look like the stereotypical tomboy. Her hair was in a messy state and so was her uniform. Her sleeves were rolled higher her upper arm, revealing a bandage and some plasters. Her dark gray trousers seemed the most put together and then her trainers ruined the hopeful image. And the pastel red bow and badge explained it all when her eyes cascaded there.

The athletic figure, the aura of belligerent; she matched the cliché Ruby standard. Unlike Flash Sentry, who was actually a sweet guy and didn't fit the image for his House, she did for hers. Without the accessories that bluntly declared so, Twi could tell right from the get-go.

"So, I'm guessing you don't think highly of me anymore, do ya?" She muttered, a bit of sheepishness flooded through her words.

"Not really, no." Twi grumbled.

"I don't think I can excuse myself with any _dark past_ , can I?"

"Nope. I've read many incidents in fiction where that happens and I'm particularly _not_ a fan of it."

"Really, now? _Egghead_."

Twilight rolled her eyes and dragged herself up. "Not a very nice thing to call someone – especially to an Amethyst."

"I'm not a very nice person in general to people I've just met, ya know? Trust and loyalty means a lot to me," she laughed. "Rainbow Dash, that me."

"Wow, I've met like what, five people today. I feel like I'm saying the same thing over and over again." Twilight remarked with a sharp tone and bit her tongue. _Did that sound too annoyed?_ "I'm Twilight Sparkle."

"Huh. So, you've read _The Twilight Saga?_ "

 _Should've seen this coming_ . She shook her head disapprovingly and replied with, "Yep, read the first and _instantly_ disliked it. I don't hate it, just felt like it was a _bundle_ of overused tropes, and the fact I'm called Twilight makes it worse," in an irritated voice.

"Which team?"

"Someone spoiled me. If I'm honest, I preferred Jacob and thought he deserved better. Mainly neither but if I had to choose, Team Edward, because why bother, Edward and Bella are together and the series is over. I really don't care." She shrugged. "Wait, how did we get into this conversation?"

Rainbow Dash laughed. "You name, that's how!" Sparkle pulled a face. "S-sorry. So, _September 9th –_ there is a party. You going?"

"Had no idea about it."

"New, I guess." Just before she walked away, she stated, "Flash Sentry, the guy you just talked to and probably heard his voice? It's that dork's birthday. Everyone is invited to a Sapphire's party, hosted by the party planners themselves: Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich. Hope to see you then. If not, well, see you in _Magic_ _Biology_."

Twilight was about to ask if Rainbow took that class, but she had already gone.

_Well, it has been a long day. Time to get this box up to Starlight Glimmer._

She sighed and threw her head back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a little warning for those who haven't noticed: this gal is a big Flash Sentry fan. you have been warned. expect a lot of romance and development from my baby in this fanfic uwu


	4. Equestrian Biology & Magic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess who's back! (but like i know literally no one cares lol) i'm going through and editing the story a bit, ch5 is almost done and i'm currently doing ch6 as well. if everything goes to plan, both will be up soon!
> 
> for those who are wondering, this is what i imagine [Discord](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/c022bf71-9fb6-4bda-abaa-8297051b5696/d5b04ig-9f5fcde1-7a51-4d6d-981e-c1df6271f87f.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2MwMjJiZjcxLTlmYjYtNGJkYS1hYmFhLTgyOTcwNTFiNTY5NlwvZDViMDRpZy05ZjVmY2RlMS03YTUxLTRkNmQtOTgxZS1jMWRmNjI3MWY4N2YuanBnIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.PoIzIMjYl6bUkvLPIS_tegTSVac0T3hDASgMOBnSqXA) to look like :)

**_SEPTEMBER 6TH –_ ** **A TWO DAYS CLOSER TO THE** party practically everyone was talking about. 9M met their homeroom teacher on the 3rd: Mr. Sky Beak. During their homeroom time today, they got to know their assistant HR teacher; Mr. Draconequus, or as he specifically liked to be called: _Discord._

Flash said he was going to see her in homeroom. Which they did and Twilight was actually surprised with what happened. Perhaps it was the fear that their classmates in one of their Houses might've caught them being friendly and then do something. She didn't know what, but that was what she assumed. And nothing of the sort happened.

Talking to a boy after what seemed like forever was refreshing for Twilight; it gave her a new taste in her mouth. They both rambled on and both listened to each other. She could only think of certain others who she had this type of relationship with. And then again, there weren't many. With him, for example, she could speak about anything without having this dreaded sense of judgment following her. For one, she could relax.

"All right class, _seit leise_!"

Twilight blinked out of her trance and gazed up at the rich German accent. _It was German, right?_ Discord slid into his seat and leaned his head on his hand. The rest of the students had sat themselves down before their _Magic Biology_ teacher arrived and from all the expressions she found, they were either confused or glad.

"Wait, he's our _Magic Biology_ teacher?" She blurted out in a whisper.

"Why yes, I am, Miss Sparkle!" She jolted in her seat when he answered, now in a regular Equestrian accent.

When she looked at him, he was standing, arms crossed. Discord wandered around his desk and then leaned against the front of it.

"So, you all thought you could sit wherever you want, hm?" He raised a brow and as if on cue, most of the students groaned.

Twilight was just shoved into her seat by Rainbow Dash, she didn't even know it was her before the girl's colorful ponytail hit her cheek lightly. She wasn't bothered about the seating plan as others were. Wasn't a seating plan a normal thing over here?

She shrugged as Discord told her to move a space up and only had to shift her stuff to the right. Once settled down and tidy again, she watched some of the other students argue, trying not to glance down at their ties/bows. Her eyes bounced to Discord who now sat on his desk with a packet of popcorn and she scrunched a brow. How long was he simply sitting there for?

Along with his, sort of, childish behavior, she took a look at his attire. Instead of a blazer, he wore a leather jacket in a dark-reddish-brown color with a white buttoned shirt underneath. That was the only item of clothing she found was strange, everything else seemed suitable.

Just as he threw the packet in the bin, he leapt from his seat towards the small crowd of quarreling teenagers and pulled them apart, finally. That was when she noticed Discord's gloves. White gloves. They weren't leather ones, the fabric from afar seemed too pristine. She curled her lip as she watched him take care of the issue in a minute and amble back to the front of the class.

"So, welcome to _Magic Biology_ !" He threw his arms out and his warming smile immediately altered to a mischievous one. "Before you new kiddies ask..." he raised a hand and waved it at one of the students in the back. "Yes, Celestia and I are aware that _Magic Biology_ is an oxymoron. But I'm sure the students from Middle School know how much I like stuff that. Besides, what fun is there in making sense?"

Twilight crossed her arms on the table and narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Anyway, I apologize in advance if I get any names wrong while taking this damn thing," – he gestured to his laptop – "I'll try my best but please excuse me. I definitely don't recognize a lot of faces in here so we'll see how this goes."

As she waited for her name, which was pretty far down the register, she took a quick glance over everyone on her desk. Coincidentally, she caught Flash, Ana, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Cheese opposite her on their large circular desk. Other than them, there were five other people that were new to her.

Two were Emerald and Ruby, one was Amethyst. The one who caught her attention was a navy-haired boy. She couldn't see him properly because he seemed to be staring at Rainbow. Cheese Sandwich shook his shoulder and the arm the guy rested his head on collapsed. When she got a better look at him, her eyes widened.

_Wait. The heir to the Wonderbolts goes to this Academy? Since when?_

Thinking about it again, it made sense. Rich, heir to a famous group of people. Besides, if. Flash _Sentry_ was here, then, of course, _Soarin Skies_ would be too.

As she let the register drone on behind her, eavesdropping allowed itself to enter her mind.

Cheese wiggled his eyebrows and signaled to the girl. Twilight stifled her laughs at the oblivious Ruby and then bit her lip to keep it in when she saw Soarin's expression.

He flushed red and stuttered, "dude, shut up."

_I'm not saying anything though_ , Cheese mouthed.

"You idiot. I wasn't staring at her."

"Soarin?" Discord said. Soarin bit his tongue and jumped. Their teacher held his smirk and eyed the boy who innocently stared back, covering his mouth.

"Morning."

"Hm." His eyes returned to the screen and then looked up. Twilight Sparkle?"

"Good morning." The word was automatic for her. She felt his eyes bore into her head for a quick second before looking down.

Her eyes were on the, _three_ now, boys misbehaving quietly. Flash flicked his finger at Soarin's knuckle and the latter gulped down a yelp. Flash gave him a knowing look and his eyes averted to Rainbow on his right.

"You fuckhead." He cursed loudly and Flash snorted when everyone stared at their table.

"What was that you said to Little Sentry here?" Discord shut his laptop and stepped behind Flash, his hand soon ruffling his hair. Flash scrunched his face, shook Discord's hand off and fixed his hair by himself. "Oh yeah, I forgot that you didn't like that."

"Nothing, Discord," Soarin grumbled but as soon as Discord walked away, he passed Flash the dirtiest look Twilight's ever seen, and it soon converted to a playful eye roll.

Many things popped up in Twilight's head. One of the main ones were: those three were the _literal_ _definition_ of bro-goals and it made her wonder why the boys in Crystal Prep weren't all nice to each other like these guys were. And the second was that these guys were in different houses.

How was the relationship between all the Houses easy to understand? Why did everyone see it as something simple when Twilight didn't? Sure, she wasn't an old CMA student but everyone said that she'll understand it like a snap of a finger.

_Sure_.

 

* * *

 

Fifteen minutes into the lesson, excluding the late start, and though it seemed strange, everyone paid attention to Discord's lesson.

He was a pleasant teacher, he was interesting enough to have everyone intrigued by the way he taught. He found a way to lift the students' spirits – with a little help from the class clown, Pinkie Pie – when they were feeling bored. He was obnoxious, in a good way. He had a chaotic atmosphere around him that suited him well.

He later explained that _Magic Biology_ related to how the magic worked in Equestrian and Crystalrian citizens' bodies, hence how it tied into biology. Despite being an oxymoron, it somewhat made sense. Discord also said most of the grading system of _MB_ focused on waving a wand and less so on _Biology_. That explained why there were two Biology classes, not that Twilight minded.

In those fifteen minutes, there were times where Discord had to use magic to carry stuff around or hand sheets out. Plenty of students were mesmerized by how easy Discord made it look. His light yellow aura passed through his gloves flawlessly and looked like a slight glittery shield around his fingers.

One part of the lesson was group work. Since her table had an uneven amount of students on it, Discord asked Twilight to work with the two girls on either side of her. The first was blonde with vibrant green eyes and a cowgirl hat, while the other was light-rose-haired with shy cyan eyes. The former was a Ruby, the other an Emerald.

"All right, Discord. I can work with them." She assured him and returned his grin. When he passed one to the girl on Twi's left – Fluttershy, was it? – the paper slid off the table. She yelped and apologized to him.

Twilight leaned behind to get a better view. In her perspective, Fluttershy bent down to pick the sheet up.

However, Discord scooped it quicker than she did and stated, "It's all right, I've got it."

"N-no! I-I can get it!"

He stood up and gave her a warm and friendly smile. "It's hardly anything, Fluttershy." The minute he held it out for her to take, he took it back and gazed at the dirt and crumples. "Gosh darn it! Seriously, they need to clean the floors properly next time. Here, I'll give you a new one." He said.

The shy girl wanted to protest by the looks of it but couldn't when Discord already handed her a brand new sheet. She took it and glanced up; he was still smiling.

He told her if she needed any help, he's there to help. She nodded and focused on the sheet. As he ambled away back to his desk, she raised her head up again, slightly staring.

"Ooh!" A raspy voice – male – intervened.

_Oh my gosh, Soarin_. Twilight rolled her eyes.

He leaned in to whisper, "Flutters, do you have a crush on Discord?" Soarin chuckled and earned a blush from Shy. "You _do_ , don't you?" The eagerness in his voice didn't make things better. Shy fiddled with her fingers and stared down at her lap. "So, what would their ship name be? FlutterCor—"

Flash slapped his shoulder. "Soarin, you are an idiot." He said that is a somewhat amused but serious expression, one that Twilight couldn't even decipher. "Look, you're making her uncomfortable! Some best friend you are." Most students turned to the girl – who sank in her seat.

Flash got up from his seat and knelt down to bring her up. He managed to calm down Fluttershy's immense flustering. "Flutters, don't mind Dash's future boyfriend, he's being a dick because he can't _bother to ask the girl he likes out_." The last few words slipped out from his clenched teeth.

Dash furrowed her brows at Flash.

"Sentry, I swear to Celestia; if you bother me one more time, so help me—"

"I'm keeping my kidneys to myself, thank you." Flash held his hands in front of him defensively, slightly backing away in his chair. He and the rest of the table, including Twilight, sprung into laughter. Twilight's eyes dodged to where she spotted Discord enjoying the amusement from his desk. He snickered, coughed and told them to focus on their sheet.

Twilight clapped her hands together and faced her partners. They finished clipping the worksheet into their books and had their pen ready for the first question.

Most of the questions were like a test to see if they can remember anything from Middle School. This ranged from stating the difference between Black and Dark Magic, the former was used for witchcraft only in Equestria so not _as_ dangerous as Dark Magic, to knowing lethal examples of _evil_ Magic.

Three minutes passed and they had almost all the questions done. Just one more.

Applejack wasn't quite like Rainbow. She was more relaxed and less rough than Dash was. A lot more mature, yet she did somewhat fit the Ruby stereotype. Fluttershy, on the other hand, was what Twilight expected her to be; yet, most of that was because of her name and attitude. Without that, she would've predicted nothing close to that. The _Shy_ part fit her personality exactly. She was timid, non-spoken and quiet as can be. She would either nod or shrug when they asked for her opinion.

_Hm._

"All right. Question Five. _What are three tasks that Good Magic generally cannot do but Black and/or Dark Magic can? And is there any evidence to prove this_?" Twilight read out.

"Bring people back to life?" Applejack suggested; her western accent flooding into her words.

They scribbled it down and an idea slithered into Twi's head. As far as she knew, this action was _dangerous_. "Turning humans, like us, into angels?" Applejack and Fluttershy nodded and jotted it down, only to turn back to her, exchanging faces of surprise.

"Wait, it's actually possible to do that?" Applejack had her mouth hung open.

"As far as I am aware, yes. It's actually really savage and minacious. If I could recall back to the news, ten years ago, someone had that spell cast on them. Don't know if they are still alive or not because we were only four years at the time. Good Magic cannot cast it. I'm unsure about Black but definitely certain about Dark."

Flash lifted his head just a fraction.

She noticed he was looking and tapped on his writing wrist when he avoided eye contact. The area where the poked him was hard. Like something was under his blazer. She assumed it was a watch and jabbed his backhand.

"Hey, okay, I felt you, no need to do it so hard." Flash chucked and jerked his hand away from her.

"Did you hear our idea?"

"Uh, yeah? You were pretty loud."

"Did you write it down?"

Flash made a face and showed her his sheet. Twilight read it and lightly bit her tongue in embarrassment. He smirked and took back his paper. She kept her tongue back to keep her from acting like a child, though she felt like she had some leeway; fifteen-year-olds were children in some shape or form.

"Ooh! Good Magic cannot erase mental health issues! Good one, Sentry!" Applejack gave him a thumbs up stole the idea. Derpy gave a warning _hey!_ and Flash frowned.

"Applejack! That's not fair, Twi said—"

He just _had_ to call her _Twi._

"—we can't steal her idea yet you do the same thing to us!" He whined and crossed his arms. Somehow, that action let hope soothe into her. She stuck her tongue out and held her sheet away from him.

He pulled the corner of his lip into his cheek and sulked. That face eventually broke her – which took five seconds to do so because sad babyfaces were Twilight's weakness and Flash Sentry was no less – and she glided her paper in his direction. "Go on, write it down."

His face lit up and he leaned in, eyes scanning then writing and repeat.

"So, where did you get that idea from, Flash? Can Evil Magic do that?" Flutters asked finally. She actually spoke, and in a confident way, towards Flash.

"Dark Magic can't but Black Magic _absolutely_ can – it’s like one of those _forbidden_ witchcraft spells. I’ll confirm with Discord because I’m not _too_ sure on that one.” A sheepish blush coated his cheeks. "Anyway, let me just write the angels one down." He lightly seized Twilight's wrist and pulled it forward so he could see the top answer.

His blazer sleeve raised up his forearm and the ‘watch’ that Twilight assumed was that dark blue gem bracelet she saw the other day.

While he was writing, Twilight noticed something and said, "Oh my gosh, your handwriting is neat! All the boys in my old school had such _unreadable_ writing."

He let out a light laugh. "Thanks!" He finished with the last word and handed his sheet to Derpy so she could copy it down.

Thirty seconds later, Discord brought the class’ attention again and right on time, Derpy slammed her pen down on the paper to dot her sentence.

Discord finished his roaming around the classroom and held his hands behind his back. "So, what do guys have for question one?" Gazing over all the students, he smirked when one was sniggering to his friend. "Feather Bangs! What do you have?"

The Sapphire jumped and laughed sheepishly when Discord picked on him. He scrambled for his paper and cleared his throat.

Flash scoffed quietly and muttered something under his breath.

_What's up with those two? Aren't they in the same House?_

A tap on her shoulder startled Twilight's insides but she shrugged the tickle off. She saw this coming and she wasn't getting distracted this time. Twilight just didn't know who it was.

"Pst! Psst! _Pssst_!"

"What is it?!—oh." Her question was a harsh whisper but, without delay, it turned back into a normal one. "Sorry. Pinkie Pie, that's your name?"

"Yeah! So, I was wondering. The birthday party on _September 9th_ ; did you hear about it?"

"The excitement for the party is literally all over CMA, so yes."

"Do you want to come? I can tell Flash that I invited you – not that he'd _mind_ that you're coming."

Twilight glanced over at the teenager playing with his pen while listening to Discord. If it was _his_ birthday, then _definitely_. He was an interesting person that brought Twilight out of her comfort no-friendship zone, she was sucked into his sweet and friendly aura.

But... the Houses. Over the course of the three days that went by, Starlight and Rainbow explained the _mutual hatred_ between each of them, something Shining Armor refused to speak about other than vague responses. Like she thought before, those girls made the system seem too simple and easy to understand when it really wasn't

In those three days, she had seen many things that proved her point – even _today_ . Soarin, Flash, and Cheese; Rainbow and Pinkie plus many more. And then, just now, there was Feather Bangs and Flash, suggesting rivalry. A rivalry _in_ their House.

On top of that, the number of Amethyst-Sapphire arguments there had been, she didn't want her possible future friendship with Flash to be damaged because of that.

So denial it was.

"S-so sorry, Pinkie Pie. I c-can't. I have a lot of homework. Plus, I'm not really interested. Sorry..."

"O-oh. A-all right." Her bubbly appearance drooped down a bit.

A pang of regret stung Twilight's chest and she bit her lip. "I'm really sorry, Pinkie. Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine, Twilight!" The struggle Pinkie went through to bring back her happy high-pitched voice wasn't very subtle. "It's okay, there are some people who aren't interested in parties."

"Uh..." There was no need for guilt tripping because it already seared Twilight. "Did someone ask you to invite me?"

"No, not really. It's Flash's birthday and you guys already hit off as friends," – _eh, not really, but okay_ – "even though you are in rival Houses. I kinda wanted to change up the unnecessary friendship-ban between Houses. I thought you two would become close but guess we don't need a party for that," said Pinkie, slipping back into her seat.

"Are you _sure_ it's okay?"

"Y-yeah!"

"As long as you aren't upset, that's fine with me."

"I'm telling you, Twilight, I'm not upset! I'm fine, really." Pinkie grinned at her. Twilight returned the gesture, ignoring the rainstorm of guilt. And she hated the rain. Twilight turned her head to Discord just as he clicked his fingers and the whiteboard switched on.

The slide that was projected was incredibly eye-catching – there were different auras floating around the corners of the screen, intertwining with the others. The brighter auras seemed to represent the lighter magic, while the almost black auras were the darker magic. Though, assumptions were assumptions.

"We're moving on to different Magic types. We have the simple Good, Black and Dark Magic. But there are other powerful types of magic that may or may not fit into these categories." He snatched the remote from his desk and pressed a button. Different symbols appeared when he stated them, "those are Harmonic, Equestrian, Chaotic, Shadow, Sirenic, and Wolf Magic. There are many more, but these are the main powerful ones."

He pressed the button again to a different slide. "Equestrian Magic; what category would this one fit in?" Discord leaned against his desk. "Sparkle?"

"Good Magic. At least, I think? It's done nothing but good so far so..."

"I mean, yeah! We've all lived with Equestrian Magic all our lives, whether we refuse to believe it or not, so yes."

The next slide had another vibe to it, this one a little unsettling.

"Black Magic isn’t really a category, it’s just witchcraft, which I hope most of you know.” Discord raised his brow but turned to the board again. “Which of those seven types fit into the Dark Magic category?" He picked a random student who had their hand up.

"Shadow, Sirenic..." Their mind wandered off with the last two and when they said it, it came out more like a question. "Chaotic, Harmonic and Wolf... Magic?"

"You are on the right track." Discord dropped the remote back on the table and crossed his arms. "Three of them are wrong. Chaotic, Harmonic and Wolf Magic are not harmful Magic."

"They ain't Good Magic. So what are they if they ain't Evil Magic?" Applejack asked.

"Well, I was just about to ask you guys. Why doesn't Chaotic fit into a specific category?"

Some hands went up and Discord scanned the class. Twilight averted her eyes to a hand next to her, Fluttershy's hand. Her hand was in the middle like she wanted to answer but the feeling of saying something stupid flooded through her mind.

_Well, isn't that relatable?_

"Fluttershy?" Discord chose.

"O-oh! Uh..." She flushed red. He waited for her response, though nothing about his facial expressions spoke impatience. "Well... Chaotic Magic is both in a way...? You can use it for either good or bad  and still use the magic. It's _bang in the middle_ gray, like all the types of magic are."

Twilight fought to urge to face Fluttershy with a congratulatory smile. Emeralds could be smart.

She never liked stereotypes. But in a place and a society where generic categories are separated and were overlooked differently, it's hard not to collapse and go with the flow. It made things easier, that wasn't a lie, but it also complicated things, like society always did.

CMA’s policy followed society, hell, it was _like_ society. What Twilight could see were complicated twists of friendships, secret relationships, and a clash in similar personalities. Was there something deeper to the rivalries and rules that Twilight didn't know about?

Discord gave a pleased look. "I'm impressed, Fluttershy." Twilight, at long last, faced Shy with the same warm and encouraging face. "Ten points to Emerald."

_How Harry Potter,_ Twilight's smile was small.

During an unpleasant sounding outburst of cheers and groans, more so the latter, she left less coming from her table. From what she could see, Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie, Sunset Shimmer and Starlight didn't go with the crowd. Same with the three boys. Rarity barely clapped, her nail file in her fingers as she rolled her eyes.

Twilight couldn't get the thought out of her head. Other students were hostile towards each other, some didn't care, but these students were... _different_. Was that the best way to describe them?

"So, Harmonic Magic. After what happened with the General of Sun and Moon with that strong type of magic, it's safe for everyone to say that it's pure Evil, right?" Discord asked.

He slid his eyes along all the students, checking for any objections and he let out a light laugh.

"Wrong. Harmonic Magic, like Chaotic Magic, can be used for either good or bad. It can be controlled and get into the wrong hands. If used correctly, it can help save practically anybody. But used incorrectly... well, that's an entirely different disaster. Like Equestrian History explains _oh so_ clearly."

He tapped a key and a few points appeared on the screen. "Jot down these few points about Dark Magic and I'll get onto Wolf Magic. I won't go too in-depth about it as myself and other teachers fairly know little to nothing about it."

It didn't take long for everyone to finish. He went on a lecture about Wolf – well, not really a lecture, more like explaining how it worked, its power and how it affected their biology.

When he immediately brought up the topic of Wolf, Flash shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He wasn't sweating, he wasn't stressing. He was more tensed than anything. His facial expression was normal, listening intently to Discord.

And for that section of the lesson, while managing to listen to her teacher, she had her eyes glued onto that accessory on his wrist. The one Flash pulled his blazer over to supposedly hide.


	5. Between The Houses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all ready for some cute Flash & Twilight moments? aaaand you meet two very important people in this chapter hehe :3

**“WHEN DID YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND?” STARLIGHT ASKED.**

Twilight’s eyes were glued to the wrapping paper. She initially went for purple since that was what she had but it clicked when she couldn’t find anymore dark purple ribbon. She stuck to the dark blue Rarity handed to her but she could only get so much before one of the other girls noticed them speaking friendly.

She wasn’t good or bad at wrapping presents, it just took some time (to not search for every imperfection of the wrapping). Of course, she cared about how it looked, yet she didn’t think Flash would mind. If he was anything like her, he’d just tear the gift wrapper open in excitement and suspense.

“Thanks, Spike,” she said. The ribbon tickled her palm at its soft touch, and she smiled at Spike as he wagged his tail and barked. He sat on the table, tilting his head down adorably

Looking over at the box, she was glad the ribbon was more than enough. The size of the box was a little larger than her hand, despite how small the actual gift was. Shining Armor might’ve had a fit if he figured out who this was for, he wouldn’t let Twi give a _Sapphire_ a gift this expensive, especially since they could afford it easily.

“Uh, Twilight, I asked you something.”

“Oh, pardon? Sorry, Starlight.” She didn’t look up, her fingers fiddling with the knot. “I changed my mind three days ago when Pinkie asked. I felt really bad—”

“It’s Pinkie Pie. She gets upset when someone rejects her invitation. But that isn’t the only reason, is it?”

Twilight’s hands froze and the ribbon ends slithered out of her fingers. Her eyes dodged all over the room for an escape; nothing. _Dammit._

“Anyway, how _do_ you know what Flash liked?” Her shoulders relaxed as her focus traveled onto writing his name in neat on the tag.

“Ugh.” She felt Starlight’s eyes rolling. “We were actually friends in Middle School. That was before…” The rest of that sentence hid under her breath. Twilight raised her head for a second before silence filled her ears and she pulled it back down.

“He loves music, he plays multiple instruments and can sing – but I’m sure you know that.” Starlight’s voice had this bubbly sound to it, and Twilight didn’t know what she thought about it. “Though, before exam week last year, someone stole his headphones. Of course, he panicked the most because they were special towards him, with unique carved designs and they were light blue. He couldn’t listen to music while revising that week, and for him, that’s his way of blocking things out while he studied.”

“So he never bought new ones? I would’ve thought—”

“His Mom bought him those, and even though his parents are like _chill_ , those headphones cost a shit ton of money. Flash doesn’t want to get into trouble with them because, like every parent who cares, they’ll whoop him badly. So I thought if you buying some for him would be a good thing.”

She turned her body to the side and hooked her arm around the back of the chair, facing Starlight. “I see. How long have you known him for?”

“Seventh grade, I think. He was like Pinkie and Cheese in a way – lots of students consider him as a friend. Yet, he doesn’t consider many people his own. He and I were buds for a really long time until my,” she coughed, “ _manifesto_ and the Houses came into play. They kind of… _tore_ us apart? I don’t know.”

“Are the Houses _that_ big of a deal?”

“They pretty much separate and hold back people from becoming friends. Not that I really _mind_ but it caused some of my friendships to collapse,” she sighed.

Twilight lifted her arms to stretch. She let out a silent yawn and then stared down at the wrapped and labeled present. Of course, what Starlight said explained and opened up questions, Twilight wanted answers. Now wasn’t the best time, though.

Besides, Starlight would probably avoid answering.

Twilight stood with the gift in her hand. “Come on, we need to go.”

_“We?”_

“Yes, you’re coming with me.” Twilight snagged a simple sleeveless lilac shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans out of her drawer, and glanced at them hesitantly. _Casual, right?_ After a quick shrug, she took a step forward but stopped again.

Flash wouldn’t care about her appearance. He didn’t judge people by looks – ironic because many people judged him by his all the time.

Still, presentable over lazy. Twilight was in a white oversized sweater and her underwear, nothing else, (and there was no way she was going in that).

After she changed into her chosen clothes, she shoved her feet into a pair of white slippers and rushed into the bathroom. Throwing her hair behind, her fingers threaded through small knots and fixed the purple and pink streaks in her fringe.

“Flash doesn’t mind how you look. You look fine!” Starlight yelled from the hallway.

Twilight’s head pulled back to the partly opened door and she made a face. “Okay, shut up. I still look like trash,” she groaned.

“Well, in that case, Flash would be able to take you out.” Starlight winked as Twilight walked out. “Let’s say, 6 tomorrow? He likes evening dates because his personality is stuck in limbo.”

She drew her eyebrows in. “What.”

“What.” Starlight parroted, blinking at her blankly. Shaking her head – Twilight could’ve sworn she caught Starlight smiling – she knelt down and called after Spike. “Come on, Spikey! I don’t trust the girls in this building while Spike is all alone here.” Her arms snuggled around their puppy’s small body and she giggled when he licked her nose.

A few seconds of skimming through her phone after, Twilight lifted her head to see Starlight grinning at her. “I’m sure Flash’ll love the gift, c’mon.”

 

* * *

 

 _Monday, 9th September_ – Flash’s fifteenth birthday. _Their birthdays were even in the same month._

She remembered the many wishes Flash received earlier that day and how they didn’t seem to have much of an effect on him other than a _thank you_. However, when his friends did the exact same, his face lit up and he had the cutest smile on his face.

 Although, she couldn’t say she wasn’t concerned. During _Chemistry_ , which was their period after Lunch, Flash tried to excuse himself to go to the bathroom. As a result of him on the brink of pleading, their teacher reluctantly let him go. And it was a good half an hour later when he returned back with Cheese, who had asked to go find Flash as he was gone for ten minutes.

Going to this party would mean having the chance to ask him about what happened, and _maybe_ finding out what was going on. If her hunch was right, she would do anything to help.

Aside from that, this was another opportunity to ask him about the Houses, since he seemed the most _normally_ behaved one out of everyone in this Academy. Twilight knew she shouldn’t get into this mess as it would only drag her away from her studies. But she didn’t want to risk humiliating herself because of her ignorance. She had enough of that back in CPA.

Searching for Birthday Boy wasn’t a problem. All Twilight had to do was look for Cheese and/or Soarin. The hall was massive, fitting for an Academy building ten times the size. With Pinkie Pie as one of her classmates, Twi knew it wouldn’t be the last time she saw this place.

She turned back to see if Starlight was behind her.

And she wasn’t.

Did Starlight forget what _they_ said back in our dorm already?

Twilight gripped tight onto her gift and maneuvered past the other students she wasn’t familiar with. The hall didn’t have a specific odor, it was a mix of freshly baked cakes, cookies, and multiple more sweet foods.

_Well, you chose to come here. You’ve got no one to blame but yourself._

She had a fixed goal; she knew where they were. However, getting through the partying students without losing her present and her way around was the main panic in her head. It was only six days from the first and she still hadn’t gotten used to _any_ of the classes.

_Like a normal student. It’s fine, just breath in and out._

All of these itty bitty situations that took place all collided into one, creating some kind of callback to CPA. Many of her ‘friends’ took her to some parties, which caused her to develop a phobia of crowds, specifically crowds at parties.

She coughed to tackle her inhaling and exhaling. Gulping down her tensions, she excused herself past her peers. They didn’t mind but in her head, they were making faces. Glares, scoffs, eye-rolling.

Rainbow Dash, Flash, Rarity or Starlight were nowhere to be found. She only knew a few others yet they jumbled into the mob as well as she did. She was stranded in the center of the hall.

_Shit, shit, shit… for fuck’s sake, Starlight, where the hell are you?!_

Screaming in her head wasn’t going to do anything. She had to be _calm_. Twilight clutched the square box, hoping to not squish it, as she glanced around. Her eyes fixed on the area where her goal was—hang on.

Where did they go?

 _Shit._ Why couldn’t she be normal at a party while trying to find someone?

She spun on her heel constantly, her eyes flying off to several places where the Flash and his friends could be. Walking backward wasn’t the best idea as the likeliness of collapsing into someone was high. Yet, it was one of Twilight’s fortes.

_Clumsiness – what a cute trait!_

The present was knocked out of her hands and it slid across the floor. Someone stood in front of the present and Twilight couldn’t bother to gaze up at who she bumped into. They were most likely going to scold her, laugh and walk away.

“Sorry.” The word slipped out, the normality of it was unfortunate. _Sorry_ was probably one of the most used words in her dictionary.

The person, she assumed, scooped the box up before hers could.

“No, I’m sorry. You’re Twilight Sparkle, aren’t you? One of the new students?” She gave Twilight her hand.

Twilight blinked at it when it came into her view. The girl’s skin was smooth and her unpainted nails were flawless.

“Yeah, that’s me – who are you?” She stared at the hand doubtfully, like always, however she took it the end. Human instinct and curiosity pushed her to glance up.

The first thing she saw was the girl’s baby-blue hair in a shoulder-length layered cut. Excluding the touch of make-up – lipstick, blush, and mascara – her facial features were absolutely gorgeous. Her smile wasn’t fake and her gesture seemed sincere. Her attire was almost similar to her own, except her top was a painting of aqua roses and her jeans were black and slim.

“You’re new, so I’ll let you off. I’m Aqua!”

Twilight dusted herself off and flipped her, still messy, hair back. “Oh…” Twilight trailed off with her mind but it wasn’t long until she came back. “Wait, how do you know me when we haven’t met?”

“During House meetings, Principal Celestia goes on and on about how we should make the new students feel welcomed. She mentioned your name about a million times and has shown a picture of you along with the others. She’s really fond of you!”

“I can’t really say I’m surprised,” Twilight joked. Aqua smiled and she returned it. “Can I have my present back?”

“Oh, right! Sorry.” Aqua dropped it into her hand, neatly, and she furrowed her brows at the box. “Is that yours or Flash’s?”

“Flash’s. Pinkie Pie invited me.”

“Are you friends with Pinkie?” She sounded surprised, not annoyed or suspecting.

Twilight and Pinkie weren’t friends, they had only spoken twice, during _Magic Biology_ and then again when Twi told her she would be at the party. They were merely acquaintances. So, should she deny?

“Nah, she’s in a different House. I don’t break the rules unless it’s completely necessary.”

Aqua tilted her head to Twi’s right. “Huh. I would’ve thought you would be the one to break rules and free us from being caged birds!” She made a cute soaring bird indication with her arms before they collapsed right by her side. “Guess not.”

“Well, I’m not really a person to stick up for something without a proper reason to. I don’t know CMA very well, at all really, other than what Principal Celestia gave me, so I wouldn’t know if it was the right thing to do. I see many people are happy with the Houses ordeal.”

“I guess it’s better for all of us to stay like this. You wouldn’t want someone to distract you from your studies, right?” She wiggled her brow.

_Well, she isn’t wrong._

“True. But I don’t _only_ focus on attractive looks if I wish to have a boyfriend.”

“You’re right. Anyway, it’s against CMA Policy for you to get into a relationship with a Sapphire, let alone the CMA heartthrob.”

Understanding the Sapphire part was easy, but why shouldn’t Twilight be allowed to fall in love with him _because_ he was the CMA heartthrob?

“He’s single now, all the Sapphire students attracted to boys would be chasing after him. Unless you are Sunset Shimmer who has a stupid rivalry with him—”

“I’m sorry to butt in, but, I could’ve sworn I heard my name.” Sunset ambled up to the pair, her arms crossed and she flashed a dirty look at Aqua.

“I’m sure you did, Shimmer.” Aqua shot a sourly sweet smile at Sunset. “Sure you did. Besides, why the fuck are you even here? Don’t you hate Flash?”

Sunset scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Hate is a strong word, Lily. I don’t hate him; he’s just too nice for everyone in this school, hell, even for me. Students here are jerks, not including you, Sparkle, while he’s always there for everyone. They don’t deserve his kindness, especially _you._ ”

“Wait _—what?”_ blurted Twilight.

Sunset opened her mouth but Aqua cut her off. “It’s nothing. Just some few things that _some people_ can’t let go of. Flashie has forgiven me for it, why can’t you?”

Twilight cringed. That pet name did _not_ sound right from her mouth. Sure, it would sound better from anyone else but her voice had this twisted emotion.

 _“Flashie,”_ – Sunset mimicked her tone – “hasn’t forgiven you _at all._  Just because I _strongly dislike_ him, does _not_ mean I don’t care about his happiness. He’s too pure for this world – his parents raised him _right,_ unlike _yours.”_

Twilight bit her bottom lip, she wasn’t sure if it was to stop herself from giggling or to keep her from interfering. Her eyes bounced off Aqua as she caught her violet eyes rolling. Her eyes were similar to Twilight’s, now that she thought about it.

“Twilight, come with me for a sec. I don’t want her shitty influence to affect you like it did to everyone else.”

And with no second thought, Shimmer gripped her bare arm and dragged her meters away from the other Sapphire. _What the hell just happened?_ Twilight turned back to Aqua, who now had a dark snarl overshadowing the sweetness in her aura.

Sunset paused and pulled Twilight to face her. She didn’t have a firm grasp on her forearm but it did sting. Just slightly.

Sunset glanced all around – she was searching for something, it looked like. Or maybe making sure that a certain someone wasn’t eavesdropping into their conversation. Twilight jerked her arm away from Sunset’s hand and rubbed it.

“Sunset, what was that all about?” She snapped and she hid that arm behind her back.

“Listen, you better be happy I got you outta there at the right time. Celestia knows what _Mean Girls_ trick Lily would try on you.”

“Okay, okay, okay. Could you kindly explain what’s going on?”

Sunset exhaled and her gaze burned holes in Twilight’s eyes. "I’ma be straightforward. Aqua is bad news.”

“Why?”

“Not my place to tell you,” Sunset said simply. She stared at Twilight when she pulled in her brows in confusion and pressed her lips together. “What I mean is I’m not involved in Aqua’s… I don’t know, _thing._ The right people will tell you when they’re ready. But just stay away from her.” 

“She seemed nice though…”

“That’s what they all say.” She shrugged. “Really though, even if she was nicer before, she’s definitely not now and I don’t want a new student like you to get roped into all that.”

“She’s really that bad?”

“Take it from me, I hate her.” Sunset offered a small grin, which looked better on her than that scowl. “She’s manipulative, and I’ve seen enough of students fall into her traps.” That sentence felt cut off, as if she was going to ramble on and say something she shouldn’t. It made Twilight want to know more without having to wait for it, to get it over and done with. But apparently not.

“Okay. All right. I’ll be careful.” Twilight looked vacantly at the gift in her hand. Good, it wasn’t crumpled. That being said, she had to get it to Flash, otherwise why else would she be here? “Sunset,” she said.

The girl’s head perked up at the disclose of her name.

“Do you know where Flash is? I have a present I need to give to him before the party ends,” she laughed sheepishly as she held the box up, covering her burning cheeks with it.

“Mhm. The party isn’t going to end anytime soon, so don’t worry. He’s probably by the food aisle.” She pointed in the direction of said aisle – conveniently right ahead of them.

Twilight nodded again and smiled.

“Oh, and Twilight?”

“Yeah?”

“If in any doubt, always ask Starlight Glimmer. And tell her I said _we should catch up on what we missed._ ” And then she walked off, the last thing she heard was the heels of Sunset’s black boots clicking against the floor.

_Well, that’s awfully dubious._

 

* * *

 

“So, there’s the Birthday Boy.”

Flash turned his head a fraction in her direction. He had his hands on the edges of the table and his body faced the isle of food galore. Cheese Sandwich and Pinkie Pie were on his left. His straight-line mouth of hesitation turned up into one of his smiles when he heard her voice.

He turned his head fully to face her and chuckled. “Twi, glad you could make it.”

“Oh, so we’re _already_ on nickname basis, Sentry?”

“I’m always on nickname basis.” He winked. Twilight cocked her head to his friends, the corner of her lip converted into a confused smile. Pinkie burst into a puddle of giggles at her expression, causing her to laugh as well.

Cheese shook his head slightly. “Flash, stop flirting.”

He pouted and whined, “why not?” Twilight had never seen him pout like that, and it was fucking adorable.

She brushed a finger down his sharp jawline and she lifted his head so their eyes met. "How did you become _this_ flirtatious?"

Pinkie gave a disregarding wave. “He’s sweet, adorable and a gentleman in the day and a mischievous and flirty Casanova at night.”

So that was what Starlight meant by _stuck in limbo_.

“Would you say I’m a Casanova, Twi?” He rested his head on his hand. Twilight’s eyes slipped back to Flash’s.

She didn’t catch this earlier, but had his eyes always contained that _sparkle_ in them? When their eyes locked for the very first time before, they were softer and sweeter. Now they slightly glowed a precious blue with a sprinkle of playfulness. But in this case, his irises were like blue fire, the sparkles leaped off the tips of the flames. Another thing was, he was staring at her in a way like he was enchanted.

Also, did she forget to mention his innocent smile?

“Flash, she can answer that later.” Cheese slapped his back lightly and it knocked him off his one-arm balance. “Also, a good thing about Flash being mischievous at night – it’s possible he’s mischievous in _bed~”_  he happily sang.

Flash’s entranced face dropped instantly. Without a second thought, he grabbed a handful of ice cubes that were in front of him and chucked them at the snickering pair. His cheeks flushed a gorgeous red and when he caught Twilight staring at his cheeks, he hid his face from her.

“Guys, you’re embarrassing me; _stop it.”_

Giggles tumbled out of Twilight’s mouth but she covered them up with a (couple of) cough(s). After a few seconds, he faced her again, but her smile faltered a bit when she didn’t see that color on his cheeks anymore.

“Pretend he never said that.” He gave a shy smile.

“Hm.” Twilight tilted her head to the right, shooting him a knowing smile. “What if I _don’t?”_

Truth be told, her CPA _crushes_ gave her lame pickup lines and that led her to fix them in her mind. She could say her flirts were ten times better, but, of course, the courage flooded down the drain when it came to actually using them.

Flash made a face that looked both and neither confused or flirty. The corner of his lips were itching into a smirk but not quite.

“What if I’m curious?” She wiggled her eyebrows.

“Curiosity killed the cat.”

“Satisfaction brought it back.”

Somehow, she knew her second thoughts would stop herself from playing back, so she immediately held her finger up and booped his cute nose. Twilight kept her composure, especially when he let out a yelp and stared at his nose like an innocent wolf.

A high pitched _hm?_ came out of his mouth as he looked back at her, the mischievous glow in his eyes completely gone.

“You’re cute.”

Flash huffed. “Am not.”

“You can’t just say that while acting cute, Flashie, it’s contradictory.”

His shoulders sank. She bet he was the cute giggly type when drunk, if not flirty (and a little horny but shh). 

She watched his eyes widen and muscle tense when the voices of his friends flooded through her ears.

He turned back. “Could you idiots, like, leave? If you ship us together, I’m grabbing my sister’s Louboutins and stabbing them in your eyes.”

“But then we won’t be able to see you two make out!” Cheese grumbled.

_“Cheese…”_

“Okay, okay, we’re going. C’mon, Pinks.”

While she was hauled away from then, Pinkie called out to her, “Twilight, find out three years later if he is good in bed!”

Flash groaned loudly in frustration and shot his friend a look that Twilight was better off not seeing.

“Pinkamena Diane Pie, for fuck’s sake! Oh my _gosh.”_  He crossed his arms. “I’m so sorry about my friends, Twilight. They’re so _annoying.”_

She giggled, eyes dodging to the pair that eventually got themselves lost in the crowd of Sapphires. Twilight glanced down at her hands and the reason as to why she was here knocked some sense into her head. “Oh, right!—um—here. Happy Birthday, Flash.”

He eyed the gift before he gazed up at Twilight once again. “You got me something? Twilight, you didn’t need to—”

“I _needed_ to, okay? Now, shush and take it.” She forced Flash’s hand out and placed it in.

“Fine, _fine.”_

Twilight gestured him to open it, in which he did. Like she expected, while trying to carefully open it, he ended up tearing a bit of the paper. He shrugged and ripped the top off.

She wet her lips, hoping Flash’s gaping expression meant he liked it. “You got me AirPods?” He asked, his voice fuzzy and soft.

“Y-yeah… I did.” Twilight didn’t mean her voice to sound sad, it just came out like that. When Flash stared at it a little longer, she bit her lip. “It’s okay if you don’t want it, I can—”

“Holy shit, thank you, thank you, thank you so much!”

That one minute of Flash hugging Twilight was something she never thought she’d experience in a long time. It was tight and warm. She almost fell over from the impact. Her arms were locked by her side, but she couldn’t complain because she hadn’t felt a hug like this since her parents. When he let go, his hands were still on her arms yet she was empty. That hug didn’t last endlessly as she wanted it to.

“And you say you’re not adorable.” Twilight punched his shoulder blade.

A tinge of red colored his cheeks. “Mmm, shut up.” He decided to tear off the rest of the wrapping paper, sliding the ribbon off and tucked it into the pocket of his black jeans. “Do you wanna,” he exhaled, “I don’t know, go someplace quieter? Honestly, I wanted this party so I could distract the other students from parading around me.”

It was a strange request, one where she opened her mouth to ask where they would go but Flash pointed to the section behind the stage. She thought about it, glancing at his face before smiling.

“Sure.”

 

* * *

 

Twilight’s hand tingled under Flash’s; he didn’t let go, even when they hid behind the curtains of the stage. She wanted to let go to stop this weird _feeling_ from making her melt into a puddle but she knew awkwardness would pop in right after she pulled away.

Lucky for her, Flash did it first.

“Sorry. Didn’t want you getting lost in a crowd like this.”

“It’s all right.” She paused and her back slid against the curtain covered wall, careful to not break it. “So, what do you want to do?”

“Sit. Talk. Get to know each other? Just… I guess, anything that’s going against the rules of the Houses.” Flash skidded next to her.

Houses.

_Oh, wait, that’s it._

“Hey, Flash?”

He hummed a response, facing her.

“Can you tell me some stuff about the Houses? Like, anything at all? I feel like I deserve to know but no one seems to be telling me anything, you know?”

Flash’s eyes roamed around the ceiling. “You’re new… honestly, I’d prefer if you’d not know anything about the Houses.” He pulled the corner of his mouth into his cheek, as if he was thinking or reconsidering what he said. “Still… it’s practically impossible for you to wander around without knowing.”

“Random question before you answer the one about the Houses – if you are going to, that is – um…” Twilight drew in a breath. “I remember back in _Chemistry,_  just after Lunch, you excused yourself to go to the bathroom. What I’m concerned about is why Cheese desperately asked to check up on you after ten minutes. He looked _really_ worried. Is something wrong?”

His mouth remained shut. Did she catch onto something? Was that why he was silent?

The topic itself was serious enough, she didn’t want to assume anything. She only had known him for six days. Too little time to come up with a conclusion. Yet, her mind thundered with various issues. Twilight didn’t want to show pity, she wanted to help. 

Their silence irritated her. An unusual breeze blew past, the chill felt out of place. Normally, these two wouldn’t be able to sit next to each other without a conversation about whatever and now this knocked that out of place.

“Sorry—sorry, um, I was debating on whether I should ask this or not since it is a situation you’d prefer to tell someone close to you…” She leaned her head back against the wall and her eyes averted to him from the side

His head was slightly lowered now, faced away from her, his eyes following the disco lights dancing on the empty stage like a cat.

“Forget it, it’s not that important.” Twilight laughed it off as she felt her right fist clench tightly next to her. She hid her hand under her thigh and threw curses at herself internally. _Hahaha, eating disorders are so_ _funny._ “So, about the Houses?”

“Mm.” Flash nodded and shifted his position. “The Houses are a really complicated thing. It has been going on for as long as I can remember – even when my Dad attended this school. _Something_ happened, I’m not sure what. It caused all the Houses to hate each other.”

His sentence almost cut off and pursed his lips. 

“But it isn’t only that. There are many times where the Houses exchange deals with others to bring one down or to help each other.”

Twilight took the information bit by bit. Something happened, way, way back to when their parents went to CMA.

Velvet and Night wouldn’t say anything because they had either forgotten what happened or it’s in the past and they decided to move on from it – bringing it up would only cause more damage to their relationships than good.

Well, that was what she assumed.

“Everyone is normally given a survey. What they like doing and what they think of themselves. They would list the people who they are close to and CMA would ask them what they think of the student that’s applying.”

Twilight got this survey. Celestia _did_ want her to study at CMA though, it wasn’t _just_ vice versa. If she could remember, there were about thirty questions. Half of them were academic-based and the others were personality-based. So, everyone got this survey? Even the teachers? Those who taught her were also in Houses, like the students.

 “They all boggle it down to one stereotype and shove them in that House. Like me, I come from a well-off family, I’m attractive to many people and I’m a person into a mixture of subjects; music and drama. Bam, Sapphire House,” Flash ranted, slapping his hands together as the words stumbled harshly out of his mouth. “But instead of letting me do whatever I want, they tie me down to the things I’ve always been known to do. I like getting good grades because it lets me know I ain’t dumb, I like basketball, netball and I _love_ working with technology. Yet, I'm stuck with the same old.”

Twilight nodded. Despite the fact she was probably the most stereotypical Amethysts in CMA, she had traits that didn’t belong in Amethyst. She had always loved studying music along with tech, but music was apparently a strict Sapphire thing. She remembered students from that House making faces at her when she entered the class, faces that weren’t a figment of her imagination.

“Have you met Aqua?” asked Flash.

 _Yes_ . _What happened between you two?_

When she didn’t answer, he continued, “I’m sure you have. She’s _everywhere.”_  His voice was low and peeved, the rolling eye gesture almost seemed like an everyday thing for him when he talked about her. “If you haven’t, then…”

Twilight turned her body to him. The information Sunset revealed wasn’t as much as she wanted and she hoped Flash was the _right person,_ in Sunset’s words.

“She’s… she’s—not _everybody_ hates her. It’s just what she does – she separates the students and makes them stay apart. The way she does it—it’s—it’s not very... um… _appealing.”_

“Oh? How does she do it? I would’ve thought she literally pulls them apart.”

“She does that mostly to the popular people and the main excuse she uses is so she could _flirt_ with them. Doesn’t work on me, not anymore that is. Probably for the best.”

“What does that mean? Has she tried it with you?”

“What do you think; I’m practically _Prince Charming_ of CMA – except one that _isn’t_ looking for his Cinderella yet. She’s done it to me several times.”

“Sunset mentioned something about Aqua not deserving your kindness…” 

“Did she now?” Flash clicked his tongue. His voice had a hint of mockery in it. The way the words came out of his mouth, they were filled with distaste. “At least she’s telling the truth.”

“Pardon?”

“That’s a story for another time,” he sighed.

There were so many loose ends, flying everywhere. Her mind wandered off with every clue Flash gave about everything. He was _extremely_ subtle whenever he was talking about himself. Yet, Twilight was an overthinker – this could be an advantage or the reverse. She had to put all of it aside, even when she didn’t want to.

“Is there anything about the _relationships_ between the Houses that I should know?”

He opened his mouth and straightened up but then went back to his previous position, sulking a bit. He snapped his fingers and beamed at Twilight. “Yes, there is, actually!” His face dropped slightly to normal, his shy eyes glancing at hers. “Sorry, I was figuring out how to put it into words. It’s… complicated.”

She nodded for him to carry on.

“Hatred, friendship, romance. It’s harsh, full of secrets, tons of shit. Hatred is the easy one, it’s the backbone of CMA Houses.” He stopped. “The… the thing that confuses me is that there are many more rivalries _in_ the Houses than between them. I shouldn’t be allowed to question it, though. I dislike Feather Bangs, Aqua, _and_ Sunset Shimmer.

Romance—um, that’s the Romeo & Juliet without-their-death kind of stuff, I guess. The Houses should play no part in how teenagers fall in love. Chances are, for most people, relationships made between Houses are healthier than _in_ the Houses. I mean, I won’t speak for everyone but people who are _too_ similar won’t work well in a relationship at all.

Friendship though… this one is hard. This school _lacks_ friendship. Soarin and I are a good representation of what happens in this Academy.”

“Did anything, or any _one_ , try to break you apart? As in they made you two argue and hate each other?”

“Yeah. We were pulled apart by Aqua and Navy Thunder. Both of them are House Captains of their respective Houses. Navy ain’t much trouble – she’s nice at _least._ ”

“I don’t think I’ve run into her yet. The only Rubies I have met recently are Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Soarin, if you don’t include Discord,” Twilight answered.

 _“Lucky._ But, I’m definitely sure you’ll bump into her next year if not this year.” He pulled in his eyebrows, resting his head against the wall. “Friendship is something this school is absent in the most. Mainly because people struggle to make friends _in_ their own Houses because everyone’s so similar.”

Friendship was something Twilight wanted to experience but never really had the chance to. She never had true friends – and whenever she did, she would always brush them off for books and studying. She still did that till this date.

“Soarin and I are interested in the same things but we also have contrasting characteristics; which is why our friendship works.”

His voice hitched, and as soon as he said, “yet, the _stupid_ Heads of the Houses can’t allow it,” his tone completely altered from calm to pissed.

His brows were furrowed and his jaw was tense and tight like he was clenching his jaw. When he talked about him and Soarin – he was genuine and the way he described it, their friendship was what mattered to him. The moment someone interfered with it in the wrong way, it would peeve both of them off.

“And… the way Aqua, Melody, and Navy ripped us apart – it _wasn’t_ needed. We don’t need fucking misunderstandings and framing mishaps to break us. We don’t even need to be separated yet they—” He groaned and slammed his hands on the floor either side of him.

“A-are you still friends with him?”

He took a deep breath and all his features relaxed. She recognized that face she met in the cafeteria, not the angered teenager she had just witnessed.

“Yeah, we worked things out! And we, um, we tried to keep it a secret but people here are smarter than you think. I’m scared as to what they’re going to try next, especially now the Houses Manager knows about us.” Flash curled his lip.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me what happened… but, uh… was it very… um…”

“We yelled at each other. Stupid Middle School shit, really. We were both annoyed and frustrated with life at the time and this problem kind of blew us off the edge. And it was all a fucking Rom-Com-like misunderstanding set up by Aqua and Navy.”

“They really want you two to stop talking?”

“Yes, I don’t know why! The entire Houses rule is dumb and only strengthens the toxicity of our society. Friendship shouldn’t have any boundaries, people shouldn’t tell us who we should be friends with. I just wish someone would break down the walls and do something about it.”


	6. Heir To The Wonderbolts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sure you know who this chapter is about...
> 
> we get a little deeper into the relationships in this chapter so enjoy :)

**“PINKIE, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU TAKING ME?”** Twilight yelped, covering her mouth the second she mentioned the girl’s name. The pace they ran at  caused her surroundings to whizz by in a beige and white blur. And due to her own unfit body, the speed grew uncomfortable and tiring, her lungs begging for her to either slow down or to receive more oxygen.

It had been four days since Flash’s birthday. She still saw him every school day after that. He’d flash one of his smiles at her before anyone caught them interacting or they’d both poke each other with the ends of their pencils during _Chemistry._

Of course, she hadn’t forgotten the question he always avoided. With his silence and the unreadable expression on his face, it was hard to forget he never answered it. Her brain simply couldn’t decide when it was the right time to ask. There were times she wanted to strangle her frustrating mind and this was one of those.

Although, Flash seemed completely oblivious to that part of the conversation and went about his day like it never happened. His reaction was beyond confusing, and it wasn’t right to diagnose him just because of one incident, especially when there was a chance it wasn’t true.

That entire party was the perfect mix of fun and _what the fuck._

She had encounters with Aqua as well, which were all so strange because Aqua was still nice to her. Surely she knew Sunset told Twilight stuff about her? Maybe it was Aqua had no hard feelings, maybe Sunset was lying, or maybe it was part of her plan. Whatever it was, Twilight still wasn’t interested in making friends, especially with one of the popular girls. Even if Aqua _was_ two-faced, staying friendly never hurt anyone.

“Pinkie, you haven’t—yah!”

Twilight stumbled when Pinkie yanked her down a flight of stairs. Her control on her balance was already awful and Pinkie dragging her all around the place wasn’t making it any better. 

At last, they managed to reach the ground floor, with Twilight still in one piece. With the strength she had, Twi stood her ground and tugged on the wrist Pinkie was still holding. “Okay, okay, Pinkie, _where_ are we going?”

“Have you played rounders?”

“Huh—wha? Rounders?” Twilight drew in her eyebrows. “What’s that got to do with—ugh, yes, I have. I suck at it but I have.”

“So, basically, I’m taking you to see a match!”

“A match?”

Pinkie rushed in front of her, held a finger to her own lips and peeped out from the wall. From what Twilight could see, she was checking if there were any other students out of class that could catch them.

There didn’t seem to be any sense of panic from Pinkie so Twilight gripped onto the girl’s shoulder to look at their surroundings. It was easier because Pinkie was only a couple of centimeters shorter than her. She didn’t recognize this area that well – all she knew was that the corridor to their left led to the locker areas.

After Pinkie was done examining, she grabbed Twilight’s wrist off her shoulder and pulled her across the corridor, to the glass double doors opposite them.

“We both have free periods, and I know eighty-five percent of the students here have classes, so I thought we’d go and watch a rounders match,” Pinkie said.

Twilight blinked. “Wait, is this a practice or an official match?” She kept the weight on her feet light so Pinkie didn’t have much trouble dragging her. There wasn’t any reason to argue with her at this point.

“It’s a practice, I think.” Pinkie pushed open the door and Twilight felt her eyes go wide. During her tour of the school – which was actually quite short if she thought about it – she never got to see the _PE_ field. She was going to have her Games lessons here as well, so she found it odd.

It was overwhelming at first, with different pitches in selected areas. Twilight eyed each one, guessing which was which from sight alone. The closest _court_ to the building was the netball and the furthest was for soccer.

On the right side though, the greenery was the one thing she could focus on, somehow disregarding the people playing on it. It was glowing with freshness, like it was the first time the team stepped foot onto it.

“So, you see the two teams here?” Pinkie pointed at the field Twi was staring at. The teams had a good distance between them, and judging from how high the batters hit the ball, the team closest to the girls were the more _experienced_ ones.

“Yeah?”

“That,” – Pinkie pointed to the tall woman in a dark blue tracksuit, with orange fiery hair and sunglasses over her eyes – “is Coach Spitfire and—”

Twi held her hand and disbelief showered on her face. “Hang on. _Coach_ Spitfire?”

“Mhm!”

 _“The_ Spitfire? As in the _Head of the Wonderbolts_ Spitfire?”

“Yep!”

“Since _when_ did the Head of the Wonderbolts work at CMA?!”

Pinkie slapped a hand over her mouth. After shushing her, she proceeded to _push_ her towards the bleachers, which was also decently far from the game.

“How did you not know that Spitfire worked here on her Wonderbolt breaks?” Pinkie whispered.

Twilight’s voice was muffled under Pinkie’s hand, but she replied anyway. “ _I don’t know_ , maybe it’s because I couldn’t care less about _PE_? And our grade’s Games lessons is in two days, so I had no idea.”

They made their way to the empty benches. A metal fence stood a meter from the first row of seats, and each chunk of seating area had at least five rows. While climbing the stairs, Twilight allowed herself to eye the players.

And no, no, she wasn’t going to eye at Flash Sentry, even though he looked ethereal with a plain white tee, dark blue shorts and slightly soaked-in-sweat hair. She sometimes wondered how a fifteen-year-old would look so pretty yet so adorable at the same time.

Twilight’s breath hitched when she saw _Starlight Glimmer_ hit the ball and sprint _all_ the way to the third rounders post. She kept her mouth from dropping and instead pulled on a baffled expression.

“Hey, Pinkie—” Twilight’s mouth was still covered. Pinkie’s hand flinched when she spoke, and she let go immediately. “Why is _Starlight_ here of all people?”

“She didn’t tell you?”

“Of course she didn’t, why would I ask if she did?” She deadpanned.

 _“Okay_ , I get it, _sheesh.”_ She pushed Twilight’s face by her jaw away from her and Twilight bit back her cheeky smile. “Starlight takes _PE_ and goes so _some_ matches. Specifically Rounders and Hockey and that’s about it, I think.”

“Aren’t the Houses against that?” Twilight sat down on a seat that appeared to be the comfiest, only for Pinkie to yank her off. “What?” Frustration blurted through her clenched teeth.

“This is the Rubies’ seating area. Amethysts are right there.” Pinkie pointed over the metal railing.

“Oh my gosh. This is so stupid.” Twilight trudged over to the Amethyst area and planted herself opposite the railing, not too far from the seat she sat at first. A pout formed on her lips and her arms fell into her lap.

“Oh, and—”

Twilight tossed the dirtiest look at Pinkie who burst out laughing for some reason.

“Flashie was right, annoying you is a _lot_ of fun.” She wiped a fake tear with a finger, having the audacity to pat Twilight’s head as she walked by. “But really, it’s easier if you sit by the railing over there, the Sapphires’ area is opposite the other railing.”

“What if I don’t _want_ to sit over there?”

Pinkie shrugged. “Fine, be lonely I guess.” Once she sat down, she rested her head in her hand, one leg over the other. Her focus drifted off to the game, completely ignoring Twilight.

Twi huffed, pulling the corner of her mouth into her cheek as she glanced around. It was that common urge in her to act petty and stay where she was, but then she really had no reason to be here if she didn’t stay with Pinkie. And by the looks of things – Twilight eyed Starlight – she wanted to spend her free period here.

She pushed herself from the seat and wandered over to the other side of the Amethyst area, sitting next to Pinkie with the railing separating them. They didn’t talk for a minute or so, Twilight was too engulfed in her surroundings, and maybe the game, to remember she was next to her.

“The Houses aren’t really against students choosing whatever subjects they want,” Pinkie began, almost startling her.

Twi lifted a brow.

Pinkie rested her left elbow on the railing. “I didn’t answer your question about _aren’t the Houses against Amethysts choosing subjects outside of their stereotype.”_

“I’m surprised you knew exactly what I meant.”

She simply gave her a cute smile and continued, “Like I was saying, the Houses aren’t against students choosing ambiguous subjects because we choose our subjects before we’re allocated to a House.”

“So, Starlight chose _PE?_ But didn’t she go to the Middle School?”

“Yeah, um, Middle School is a lot more laid back with Houses. Well, _policy_ wise.” Pinkie cringed, as if she recalled an unpleasant memory. “Basically, the Academy assumes, with our mindset they, uh… _teach_ us, Freshmen will eventually choose subjects that suit their House next year.”

It took some time for that to sink in, especially the part where Pinkie was figuring out her wording. What would she have said instead of _teach?_ Twilight would’ve jokingly guessed _brainwash._

“I wouldn’t expect Starlight to do _PE_ of all things, or even be on the team that participated in official matches,” Twilight said. “Then again, I haven’t known her for long and she barely tells me anything.”

Pinkie clicked her tongue. “Oh yeah, she’s like that with most people, so don’t take it as there’s something wrong with you.”

To ignore the silence the girls relaxed in, Twilight’s sight decided to focus on the game. This was the perfect area to place the bleachers, she had a mesmerizing view that she could make out almost every familiar face from all the way here. 

Spitfire, or now, _Coach_ Spitfire, had taken off her sunglasses, eye on the game. Twi searched for Starlight, who was now fielding and guarding third post. That meant the previous fielding was batting now.

She also caught Flash, who was at backstop. What had Twilight stumped was everyone on the current fielding team were laughing and playing around a little. For example, Flash, Soarin _and_ Rainbow Dash were all singing to a song Twi didn’t recognize.

Applejack, who was on the opposite team, shook her head in playful disappointment and facepalmed as well. One thing she noticed was that Applejack had a white mask over her mouth and nose. That alone could mean a lot of things so Twilight wasn’t sure why she had that on.

“So… um…” Pinkie leaned closer to Twilight, leaning her head on her hand.

 _“Um_ what?”

Instead of replying, Pinkie’s eyes dodged to the field, in the direction of the backstop. Flash caught the ball after it bounced once and immediately threw it to Rainbow who was bowler. The throw was a clean overhead, a throw Twi could easily see herself failing to do.

Twilight pulled her eyebrows in, turning to Pinkie with a confused expression. That face changed in an instant when Pinkie lifted her left brow and a smirk captured her lips.

“Oh no.”

Pinkie simply giggled behind her closed mouth.

“Can you _not?”_ Twilight almost whined.

“Why _not?_ ” Pinkie mocked her tone.

 _“Because…”_ She had an entire list of excuses but none of them wanted to come out of her mouth. While trying to force herself to speak, she ended up stumbling with her words, making no sense and giving the impression that she was trying to avoid the question – which _was_ kind of what she wanted to do.

“Okay, okay, I won’t tease you.” Pinkie rolled her eyes. “I just wanna know, how did you two start talking?”

Due to Pinkie’s genuinely intrigued look she was giving Twilight, she responded, “it was during Lunch on the first day. You were there, weren’t you?” Before Pinkie could make a confused face, Twilight continued, “on the stage, singing _Dul, Set?_ ”

“Oh yeah, I remember! Not that well but yeah, I remember Flash running after someone after we packed up. Was that you?”

Twilight nodded. The realization hit her when Pinkie grinned, Twi’s face heated. “What?”

“Nothing. I guess I’m trying to figure out why he chose to socialize with you of all people.” Pinkie then paused. “Oh shit, that came out really wrong, I’m so sorry—” Her pace quickened and she laughed nervously.

Twilight laughed, waving a hand. “Oh, no, no, no, its okay! I’m curious though, what do you mean?”

“What do I mean? Are you talking about the socializing bit?”

“Yeah. Is Flash not much of a social person?” It was instinct to look back or find the boy, which wasn’t hard to do, and when Twilight’s eyes landed on him, that statement didn’t seem to be true. Or maybe affectionate and social were different, which also made sense.

Flash was in line for batting now, he stepped out to grab a bat from the rounders bat holder and slipped back in, behind Soarin and in front of another student. He slid his arms over Soarin’s shoulders from behind and pressed his cheek against the boy’s back. She glanced at Soarin’s reaction, which at first was blank but once Flash hugged him from behind, a bright cute smile broke out.

Pinkie’s reply snapped her out of the cooing daze Twilight was about to fall into. “Yeah, he isn’t that social. Of course, when you see him with his friends, he’s loud as fuck but it’s really different when you meet him for the first time. And I’m assuming _he_ initiated conversation with you.”

“Mhm, that’s what happened. Is he not like that with new people?”

“He’s actually not, and that’s why I’m wondering why he likes you. If he wasn’t interested in you, he’d pretty much wouldn’t run after you that day.”

“So what you want to do is interrogate me?” Twilight joked.

“Oh gosh, not _that_ serious! I’d honestly do that if you were a potential girlfriend for him, but because it’s only been a week and a bit, I can’t say much without people thinking I’m being delusional.” Pinkie laughed.

“Um…” Twilight played with her fingers. “Just asking… why are you so… I don’t know… _nice_ to me? Is this some sort of scheme?”

Pinkie shook her head. “I’m not sure if you’ll believe me, but if I was like any other Sapphire, I would tell you to stay away from Flash instead of planning a way to humiliate you. Unlike _some people,_ I know how to use my time properly.” Her innocent smile didn’t distract the way that last sentence came out, and Twilight was sure that was Pinkie’s intention.

“Sapphires seem _really_ overprotective over him, is that just me?”

 _“Oh,_ _”_ Pinkie giggled. _“That’s_ true. Even when there are Sapphires that are _high-key_ jealous of him, they’ll protect his ass no matter what. But like, it’s…” she sighed, “so _sudden_ to see Flash come out of his comfort zone and talk to someone new.”

“You’re not gonna go all _my baby’s growing up_ are you?” Twilight looked at her.

“Now that you mention it…” she mumbled, hooking a finger around her chin. Twilight’s gaze widened but went back to normal after Pinkie laughed. “Nah, not today, he’s older than me anyway.”

After a beat, Twilight spoke up again. “Are you glad?”

Pinkie hummed her response but it came out like a question.

“That Flash is talking to new people?” Twilight saw Pinkie swallow visibly, her small smile faltering a bit and her gaze dropping for a split second.

“I guess I am. You seem really nice and you’re a transfer student which is a lot better.”

That last part caused confusion to develop in Twilight’s features and she had no idea how to respond to that reply.

After a few long seconds, she said, “you sure? You don’t sound like it.” Twilight kept her tone light and joyous, though Pinkie’s reaction didn’t shift.

“I mean, for someone like _me_ , I should be glad he’s socializing, but sometimes I feel like it’s _better_ if he’s not—”

“What up, eggheads?”

Their heads whipped to the girl walking by them, who stopped in front of the railing. Rainbow’s hair was in a high ponytail, several strands from her bangs sticking to her forehead due to the sweat and she had a dark blue water bottle firm in her grasp. 

Twilight didn’t know whether she should be thankful or irritated that Dash interrupted Pinkie.

“Um, Dash, there’s only one egghead here and it sure ain’t me.”

“Hey!” Twilight pouted. 

Rainbow grinned, leaning her elbows off the railing. “Pinkie, you know it’s pretty risky if you two are seen sitting together, right?” She took a swig from her bottle.

Pinkie shrugged. “I know, but people know how I am and they’ll excuse it as me just being social and nice, you know, _the usual.”_

Rainbow tilted her head in consideration. Her finger snapped the lid of her bottle closed and she turned to Twilight. “Haven’t seen you around since yesterday, what’ve you been up to?”

Twilight shrugged. “Nothing much.”

“Heard you’ve been hanging around a certain someone?” Rainbow said calmly.

“Oh my _gosh.”_

“Hey, if Flash is finally talking to someone out of his little Sapphire group then isn’t that good? Besides, Flash is someone people focus on a lot – trust me, people have seen you with him.”

“Dash!” Pinkie kicked at Rainbow’s shin and the girl retreated.

“Whaat?”

“Don’t _scare_ her,” she warned. Twilight didn’t think she had a face that concluded what Rainbow said scared her but Pinkie still said some reassuring words. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing, don’t be worried.”

“Well, good, because I’m not worried,” she lied.

Pinkie whipped her head around. “Huh?”

“We haven’t been talking,”  _since the party_ but Twi left that bit out, “just playing around and helping each other with work.” Twilight hoped they would buy her act, they didn’t need to know about her worries.

“Yeah, Pinkie, calm down,” Rainbow spoke up. “People will just think she’s a part of the hundred that have a crush on him.”

Twilight froze. _“Hundred?_ Does this include Middle School?”

“No idea, some Sophomores might have an interest in him because he’s got cash. But most likely he’s rejected them since he’s not looking for a relationship right now. Especially with—”

“Dash!” Pinkie warned again.

“Whoops.”

“What?” sputtered Twilight. At this point, this entire conversation was beyond confusing and her attention had decided to latch itself onto the rounders game instead.

“Also, Twi, why—”

“What is _with_ everyone and nicknames? What is this, a bad boy fanfiction where the main pair make up nicknames for each other when they’ve met, like, _once?”_

Rainbow snickered, “Twi is a cute nickname for you, saves me for saying your whole-arse forename. Anyway, why _do_ you blush when we bring up Flash and you?”

Again, just by the mention of that, Twilight’s cheeks burned. “Well, I _can_ admit, the boy’s cute. But, it’s embarrassing and ridiculous that people keep bringing him up around me. And I’d rather people ask about _me_ than the popular boy I’ve apparently been clinging onto, and I don’t like talking about myself.” Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Well, we can talk ‘bout something else!” Before she knew it, Rainbow plopped herself in the seat next to Twilight.

“Huh—what—Rainbow, you know you can’t—”

She chuckled. “I know, I know, I don’t really care.”

Pinkie leaned in and poked Twi’s arm to get her attention. “Dash’s a rebel, let it be.”

“All _right.”_

This felt unknown, but the _good_ kind of unknown. Twilight felt herself getting used to the girls’ presence, she was getting used to Rainbow’s raspy voice, Pinkie’s slightly high-pitched voice, Rainbow’s snarkiness, Pinkie’s hyperness. The atmosphere and aura they brought with them, both different, felt almost welcoming.

One thing she hadn’t noticed until Rainbow started talking more was she had an Australian accent. It wasn’t thick, it only just appeared in a few words.

Of course, Twilight wasn’t dumb enough to share anything personal. She could trust Pinkie more than Rainbow, yet there wasn’t a good reason for her to trust either. They seemed nice, sure, but if she trusted them easily, she was walking herself right into a potential humiliation party. She also had no idea if Flash could be in on this too, if the Freshmen were planning on making her look like a friendship/love-desperate fool. It _was_ hard to believe, very unlikely, but not impossible.

Perhaps she should stay away from him too.

Rainbow and Pinkie were bickering over something Twi couldn’t bother to remember. The small bickering seemed to come up every now and then when the three were trying to have a peaceful conversation. Twilight would roll her eyes now, since she tried twice to get them to calm down and shut up but failed.

Twilight pursed her lips and dared a glance at Flash. Both him and Soarin had moved back the line, which meant they already had their bat and were waiting for a second or third go. Aside from the back hug Flash was still giving him, Twilight could tell a small height difference between them, around an inch or so. Flash wasn’t short by any means (to her at least, she was 5’3) but Soarin was definitely around 5’7.

“Hey, um…” she interrupted their squabble. Twilight tried to figure out how to word her question. “How come no one’s saying anything about Flash and Soarin being all friendly with each other?—not that I mind, they’re really cute friends but—”

“Oh ho, _just_ wait. Thunder’s probably gonna jump between them,” muttered Rainbow.

“Thunder? As in _Navy_ Thunder?”

“Yep,” she said through a sigh. “And _here_ she is.”

Rainbow’s arm extended out to point at a girl around their age sliding her arm between the boys and breaking them apart. Soarin pulled a face at the girl, who innocently smiled back. Flash visibly huffed, his shoulders falling.

“She literally just pushed her way between Flash and Soarin; is that what they do?”

“Yeah, Navy’s Head of the Rubies in our grade, so it’s kinda her job to do this shit. I’m surprised she hasn’t given up with Flash and Soarin, they’re basically attached at the hip. They aren’t going to split no matter what anyone does so there’s no point, really.”

Pinkie abruptly intervened. “Dash, you haven’t tried to interfere in their relationship before, have you?”

“Uh—what—wait, no, I haven’t, what makes you think I have?”

“I don’t know, maybe your _not-so-obvious_ crush on Soarin?”

“Pinkie, shush,” Rainbow snapped. “And no, I haven’t. Honestly, I find their relationship adorable, they’re not afraid to know each other inside out.”

“Have they known each other for a long time?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow nodded quickly. “Flash, Soarin and I have all known each other for a long time, it’s kind of hard to break a long lasting friendship. Don’t know what makes the students keep going with their agenda.”

Something about Rainbow’s tone felt off, it was torn with exasperation. Like she was tired of something – it couldn’t be Flash and Soarin, she clearly said so and _that_ seemed true from the way she spoke about them.

“You seem okay with their relationships but what about other Rubies?”

“Oh, them,” Rainbow quietly responded. “They hate it. They backchat about Flash, about his _lack of masculinity,_ stuff they shouldn’t care about. Soarin and I kinda have to suffer listening to that bullshit all the time.”

Twilight looked over at Pinkie who shrugged.

“I wouldn’t know, I’m not in Ruby,” said Pinkie.

She curled her lips, turning back to Rainbow. There was one thing she wanted to know, or to be sure of, was that Soarin was still considered Flash his best friend and that his intentions were good. Twilight really shouldn’t care about someone who she was thinking of staying away from but from what he said at that party, she couldn’t help but worry about the boy.

She didn’t want to start thinking about why she cared so she opened her mouth. “Um… I wanted to ask… you know how you said Rubies backchat about Flash, well, does Soarin just sit and listen or does he, I don’t know, engage with the conversation in any way?”

Rainbow’s eyes grew a little wide, but not wide enough to look surprised or shocked. “No, not that I know of. Soarin’s not like that, he only sits and ‘listens’—he even rants to me about them when we’re alone.”

Pinkie giggled, and Twi soon joined in when Rainbow threw a glare at her.

“But yeah, Soarin would never do that to Flash. Like I said, it’s hard to break a friendship that has survived through so many years. It’s unlikely a group of dickheads with huge egos that stink of toxic masculinity would make Soarin change his mind.”

Twilight laughed at the comment, mostly because she knew boys like that existed (way more so than boys who went against toxic masculinity). But again, it was something about the way Rainbow said that made her feel like everything that just came out of her mouth was sincere.

Pinkie’s hand found its way to Twilight’s clothed shoulder and she gripped it. “Twilight.” She waited until Twilight fully turned her head to face her. “If I’m honest, friendships between the Houses are stronger than friendships in the Houses. It’s definitely risky, yes, but that’s what I see.”

That was what Twilight saw too. And she couldn’t help but think about how better it would be for relationships like Soarin and Flash if the Houses ceased to exist. Because of their interactions, she wondered if Rainbow and Pinkie would’ve become friends.

“I know you don’t trust us, it’s a smart thing to do, honestly,” said Rainbow. “But you’ll soon know what we mean. You’re smart. I hope…” – she looked over at Pinkie who shared the exact same tensed look – “that it won’t be too late before you figure it out.”

 

* * *

 

_Shit, where’s G14 again?_

_PE_ ended a few minutes ago. Rainbow had rushed off to grab her bag and go to the changing rooms, which left her alone with Pinkie. But then _that_ one had to run off somewhere. So here she was, standing at the intersection of two corridors.

Twilight pulled her bag off her shoulder and tugged it open, her free hand rummaging through it to find her planner. She hadn’t gotten the hang of knowing what room was on which floor yet, and it frustrated her to no end.

She grunted, pushing her folders and pencil case back and forth to see where her planner was hiding. The purple to white gradient book finally came into view, but when she grabbed it, she lost balance of her bag. Her knee jotted up to keep the bag steady, but her planner ended up slipping out of her hand.

“Oh my fucking _gosh,”_ Twilight groaned.

Twilight threw her bag over her shoulder, then was about to kneel down for the planner, but someone else was quicker and grabbed it for her.

“Here.”

Twilight glanced up and stared at the dark blue haired boy.

“Soarin?” She took her planner from his hand.

“Yup, that’s me!” He gave her a smile, his voice sounding happy. By now she was used these teenagers having an energetic aura to them instead of dull and unbothered, a sound that she grew tired of from CPA. “You seem lost,” he spoke again.

“Do I?” Twilight asked with a laugh.

“Yeah, you were standing here looking around for a bit. Where’s your next class?”

_“Physics, G14.”_

“Oh!” Soarin said. “That’s on this corridor, you just need to make some turns.” He held his hand out, pointing to the corner on their right, past the staircase. When Twilight didn’t respond, he asked, “you want me to come with?

She blushed, shoving her planner back in her bag before zipping it up. “If you can, please. S-sorry.” Twilight smiled sheepishly and Soarin returned it, shaking his head and waving a hand to tell her it was okay.

As they walked, Twilight slung her bag over her shoulder. They walked in silence for a bit. She found herself lagging behind while walking at her normal pace because Soarin’s long legs allowed him to get ahead of her. Twilight mentally cursed him for being tall and hurried herself along so they could walk side by side.

“Soooo…” Soarin began, pondering for a moment. “You’re Twilight Sparkle?”

Twilight raised her brow. “Depends, who told you about me?”

Soarin seemed to be taken aback by the snarky reply but he quickly cleared it up. “Flash did, who else?” He paused. “And Dashie has said a thing or two, but that’s not the point.”

“Wait _—Dashie?_ ”

“Don’t call her that or she’ll _murder_ me.”

Twilight let a tiny smile curve her lips. “But yeah, Twilight, that’s me. How’d you know it was me, though?”

“Flash called out to you but you kind of… didn’t answer back?” He answered, confused.

Twilight thought back to that, it was after Rainbow ran off to the changing rooms, Flash’d seen her and called out. She heard it all right, she just didn’t respond and quickened her pace back into the building. Thinking about it, she hadn’t seen his reaction or heard his reply.

“O-oh,” she muttered. “Yeah, I was in a bit of a rush—I like getting to class early. That was _before_ I forgot I didn’t know where my class was.” She carefully hid her regret if ignoring Flash from Soarin as she faced him.

“Mm, makes sense for an Amethyst,” he joked. “Flashie looked a little upset, but I don’t think he thought much of it.”

The regret pierced her, she felt her teeth clench to hold herself back from frowning. Sad didn’t look good on Flash Sentry and it hurt more knowing she caused it.

Although, like Soarin said, it was trivial. Flash would probably forget it in a few days. She could slowly drift away from him so she didn’t get hurt – she was already too deep in by caring about what the Sentry felt, it was only a matter of time before she wouldn’t be able to avoid any more complications.

She gulped her sigh down. “Umm…”

Soarin tilted his head to the right.

“You do know you’re _not_ supposed to walk around with me, right? Because you’re a Ruby and I’m an Amethyst?” she asked.

“Oh, that.” Soarin ripped his gaze from her and stared down at his feet. _“Well,_ no, I’m not. _Then again,_ since it’s between _us_ and not, let’s say, you and Flash, students won’t really do anything about it. Even if it’s every person for themselves, Rubies and Amethysts tend to stick together. It’s like Emeralds and Sapphires.”

“Ohh.” Twilight would be lying if she said she wasn’t confused about the _Emeralds and Sapphires_ bit, yet she figured now wasn’t the best time to ask. “So, Mr. _Heir to the Wonderbolts,_ you’re friends with Prince Charming?”

Soarin rolled his eyes. “Oh my gosh.”

“Whaat, don’t like those nicknames?” She teased, nudging the boy in the arm.

“Nah.” He shook his head. “They’re cliché and annoying – my one keeps reminding me that I have to take over the Wonderbolts after Uni. But never mind that, yeah, I am friends with him. Best friends actually.”

“I know.”

Soarin blinked in surprise, before scoffing. “Oh, so the dickhead already told you about me?”

Twilight laughed, “well, him and Rainbow. You two seem close – you and Flash, I mean,” she added. “Too bad the Houses keep pulling you apart.”

He exhaled slowly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his gray sweatpants. “Yeah. He told me he told you some stuff about our relationship – and stuff about the Houses. I’ve kinda gotten used to rolling my eyes when my Housemates backchat about Flash, I just avoid the question when they ask me to join in.”

“Doesn’t it bother you, though?”

“Oh _hell_ yeah, absolutely. Like, what do they expect me to do,” Soarin ranted, “suddenly _abandon_ my _childhood_ friend who’s done nothing but let me cry in his chest when I need to let out my emotions for some dumb Housemates whose egos are hurt because I wanna hug _him_ instead of injure someone else during Rugby?”

Like Rainbow Dash, she could tell Soarin’s feelings were weaving their way into his words, he sounded irritated, like he wanted to punch something (or someone). Instead of a low growl in his voice like Rainbow’s little rant, Soarin’s voice went a little higher at the end.

“They’re really _that_ butthurt about Flash?”

 _“Clearly,”_ Soarin continued. “Is it bad that I want to strangle them?”

“Honestly? No, it’s not.” Before he gave any indication that he didn’t mean it, she said it first. “Kidding, kidding. But really, _damn,_ that stinks.” Twilight waited a beat. “But, how are you so carefree with talking about your friendship with Flash when people are against it?”

“Ah, well, they can’t expel me, my family gives them a _good_ amount of money to keep this school running. If I’m gone, so is Spitfire and it’s gonna lead to a chain reaction. And CMA doesn’t want that now, does it?” He raised his eyebrow in a way that made her laugh. Twi’s cheeks started to ache from the amount of smiling she didn’t expect to do today.

“I can see why Dashie likes you,” Twilight challenged softly.

Soarin’s eyes went wide, she wasn’t sure if it was because she pointed out his feelings or that she called his crush _Dashie_.

“Twilight, shush!” He stayed silent for a moment, his blush fading from his cheeks. She was surprised when he answered back in a similar manner. “You’re pretty social for someone who wants to be antisocial, you know.”

That quietened Twilight for a bit, her eyes fell to the floor, wanting reflect on that part of herself. She didn’t have enough time to do so, though.

“I get why Flash likes you though.” He mumbled in a sing-song voice, before having the nerve to _giggle_ after that. “I’m kidding, I’ll leave you alone.”

Twilight cleared her throat as her cheeks died down from the sudden increase of heat, but she stubbornly huffed away from him.

“Okay, so…” She looked at Soarin gazing ahead and then flicking his right wrist to check his watch. “I have five minutes to sprint to _Dance_ Class so, _G14_ is that classroom over there.” He pointed to the door a few meters in front of them and looked back at Twilight. “Got it?”

She nodded. “Yep!”

He started to walk away backwards as he said, “tip, the _G_ in _G14_ means _Ground Floor.”_

“Ohhh. Thank you!”

“Anytime!” He was further away now – he gave her one more smile and a, “Later, Sparkle!” before sprinting off down the corridor.

“See ya, Soarin!”


End file.
